


What's a Citadel Hero's Motto?

by LawfullyLawless



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Changes and additions because I said so. Wanna fight about it?, Character Death, Dirty Jokes, Drinking, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Jokes, Romance, Slightly Thane because story, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-26
Updated: 2018-08-20
Packaged: 2019-01-05 16:10:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 32
Words: 102,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12193257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LawfullyLawless/pseuds/LawfullyLawless
Summary: Garrus and FemShep relationship from the beginning of Mass Effect 1. The story with twists, additions, jokes, loss, and changes.  The two move from friends to something more. (If you are here for some smutty action, Chpt. 14. Other smuttiness to be added later.)





	1. Demanding Aren't We.

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing. All characters, story, events, etc. belong to Bioware/EA. It may go further than 3, haven't decided yet. Additionally, I left out few key fights, talks, events, etc. to not put too many spoilers or what not in there. There may be quick explanations or a jump from one thing to the other, so please bear with me. Finally, I will add smut later on as this has a slow build to it. Don't worry though; there will be more than the one time given to us in the original. Enjoy! (First fanfic!)

Shepard came to a halt upon the steps when she heard Saren’s name. She watched as the two turians argued with one another. She knew of Executor Pallin, but was not familiar with the turian sporting the azure colony markings.

Garrus’ frustration with Executor Pallin had finally reached its breaking point, “Saren’s hiding something! Give me more time. Stall them.”

After an incredulous pause, Pallin responded, “Stall the Council? Don’t be ridiculous! Your investigation is over, Garrus.”

The desire to snatch Pallin by the collar and inform him of how foolish he was being was great, but Garrus’ training prevented him from acting upon it.

Instead, he focused his attention on the woman who had stood to the side and watched the encounter, “Commander Shepard? Garrus Vakarian. I was the officer in charge of the C-Sec investigation into Saren.”

Shepard did a full appraisal of the turian in front of her. He was of a considerable size, as most turians were. Taller than she and her crew and most definitely outweighed all of them. However, turians, despite their size, moved and reacted quickly. His eyes, which were also a shade of blue, briefly scanned her crew members before returning to her once more.

Shepard could see a fire in his eyes, “Sounds like you really want to bring him down.”

Garrus crossed his arms, staring at the floor as his brow plates furrowed together, “I don’t trust him. Something about him rubs me the wrong way.”

Garrus released a disgusted sigh, and looked pointedly at the Commander, “But he’s a Spectre, everything he touches is classified. I can’t find any hard evidence.”

Oh, he knew she was up to become a Spectre. Rumors had been flying around C-Sec and certain areas of the Citadel about it. Whether it was going to happen was a different story, but with her background… Garrus could see it happening.

The male human following her chose that moment to cut into the conversation, “I think the Council is ready for us, Commander.”

Garrus sighed once more, “Good luck, Shepard. Maybe they’ll listen to you.”

Shepard touched Garrus’ shoulder briefly, “I take it you have never met with the Council before.”

Garrus raised his brow plates as she dropped her hand and walked away. Garrus had never met with the Council, but it was possible that they may heed her versus some C-Sec officer. However, seeing the look in Commander Shepard’s eyes made him doubt that very belief. Garrus shook the thoughts from his mind and headed out to attend to other business.

Shepard pinched the bridge of her nose as she recounted what had transpired in the room. The Council didn’t believe her, that she expected, but what she didn’t expect was the look of Saren in the holo. Something was off about him, physically. However, no one else seemed to notice, so maybe she just wanted something to look wrong about him. Maybe her anger towards him had been playing tricks with her vision and mind. Those thoughts would have to wait for another time as the team had other avenues to venture down.

She dropped her hand and turned to her crew, “So… who is up for some action at the strip club?”

Kaidan groaned in response.

“Come on LT, you don’t want to go see some women dancing seductively for you? Half-naked too.” Ashley nudged Kaidan with her elbow, laughing as his face grew red. Shepard attempted to hide the grin that was slowly spreading upon her face, but gave in after a bit.

The group stepped off the elevator and rounded the corner towards Chora’s Den, “There she is! Get her!”

Shepard and her team dropped behind cover at the sight of the armed men, “Okay, not the kind of action I was talking about.”

The assassins were quickly dispatched, “Already getting assassins after you, Commander. Moving up in the world.” Ashley joked.

“Yeah. The prices of fame it seems. Come on.”

As the group entered the club, Ashley surveyed the dancers and men in the room, “Doesn’t matter where we go, there will be a place with women shaking their ass and guys drooling over it.”

The behavior switched between Kaidan and Ashley. She looked on with no interest and slight disgust, while Kaidan was starting to resemble said drooling man. Shepard ignored their discussion as she scanned the club till her eyes finally fell on Harkin. The man looked sleazy and if the stories were true, he was even sleazier when meeting face to face. As she approached him, she inwardly groaned at the look that crossed his face. She was in full armor, but his eyes and facial expressions made her feel as if she was walking around in dancer attire.

Shepard felt dirty after talking to the man and she wanted to take a long shower to scrub the feeling off. However, he did pique her curiosity as Anderson had never mentioned being a Spectre candidate. She pushed that thought to the back of her mind as she was enroute to find Officer Vakarian. What Shepard hoped to be an easy meeting, turned out to be anything but. As the squad advanced upon Dr. Michel’s office, they could hear voices, that were in an argument, coming through the door. As the doors opened, Shepard spotted Garrus sneaking behind cover.

“I didn’t tell anyone. I swear!” Shepard could hear the panic in the voice of Dr. Michel.

She nodded at Garrus and unholstered her weapon as the door closed. The thug’s attention moved to the noise. He raised his weapons as he pulled the doctor in front of him as a shield.

“Who are you?” The criminal snarled.

“Let her go!” Shepard snarled back.

With the thug distracted, Garrus moved from behind cover and took a shot. The round was on target, blasting through the thug’s skull. With the main brute down, Shepard, Garrus, and her team worked together to take out the last of the criminals.

Once the doctor was safe, the crew regrouped, “Perfect timing, Shepard. Gave me a clear shot at that bastard.”

Shepard crossed her arms, cocking a hip out, “I should say that that was a big risk and kind of dumb.”

Garrus and Shepard stared at one another for a moment, “But I don’t think you would have done that if you didn’t think you could make the shot. So, while it was risky, nice shot.”

Shepard watched Garrus’ eyes widen slightly at her explanation, “I-uh… thanks.”

Garrus turned his attention to the doctor, “Dr. Michel? Are you hurt?”

The doctor scratched the side of her head, smiling at Garrus before moving her eyes towards Shepard and her team, “No, I’m okay. Thanks to you. All of you.”

Shepard spoke with the doctor a bit, who finally provided information about a wounded quarian who possibly had evidence against Saren. Shepard raised her brow slightly as she watched the communication between Garrus and the doctor. The doctor was clearly interested in Garrus, but he was… a bit harder to read. As the team said their goodbyes to head out for the quarian, Garrus reached out for Shepard’s arm to capture her attention. Shepard came to an abrupt halt, glanced down at his hand on her arm, and then turned to face him.

Garrus, realizing what he had done, snatched his hand away and began to rub the back of his neck, “Sorry. Look I know this is your show, Shepard. But I want to bring Saren down as much as you do. I’m coming with you!” Garrus could see her process what he had said and worried she’d say no.

“Demanding aren’t we?” Garrus opened his mouth to explain, but Shepard raised her hand to stop him, “Welcome aboard, Garrus.”

Garrus stood stunned for a moment. He had expected her to react as many humans had done previously, demanding respect, telling him off, or other such reactions, not for her to smile at him and extend her hand.

“You know, we aren’t the only ones going after Fist. The Shadow Broker hired a krogan bounty hunter named Wrex to take him out.”

Shepard angled her head for a second, “Hmmmm… a krogan. Should be exciting.”

She turned to Ashley, “Stop by and check in with Anderson. Let him know what is going on.”

Shepard, Garrus, and Kaidan reached C-Sec and watched the exchange between Wrex and the officer.

Wrex spotted Shepard and headed for her, “Do I know you, human?”

“Name’s Shepard. I’m going after Fist. Wanna join?”

Wrex gave Shepard a quick once over, “Shepard? Commander Shepard? I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Well, that’s nice,” Shepard smirked.

Wrex moved closer, but Shepard didn’t budge, “We’re both warriors, Shepard. Out of respect, I’ll give you fair warning. I’m going to kill Fist.”

Garrus watched the two stare at each other, but it was clear neither was going to back down, “Fist knows you’re coming. We’ll have a better chance if we all work together.”

Wrex cast a quick glance at Garrus, “My people have a saying. Seek the enemy of your enemy, and you will find a friend.”

“We have a similar saying. Welcome aboard, Wrex.”

Shepard shook the krogan’s large hand and turned to address the male human, Kaidan. Garrus stared at the hodgepodge team. A turian, human, and krogan working together. Not something he had been witness to in his time. Although the wars were over, some feelings were harder to let go. Garrus didn’t harbor many of the feelings some of his colleagues did, but there were moments where he had acted or thought in a manner that resembled those same colleagues. And yet here he stood, sizing up his new partners and wondering where they would all be at the end of this mission.

Shepard sent Kaidan back to handle some other matters and turned to address the new team, “So, next is Fist’s place.” Her brows furrowed, “But I think you are right Garrus. He is probably expecting us. We won’t know till we get there, so we need to be careful and keep our eyes peeled. Let’s head on out.”

When the team reached Fist’s place, it was clear that their previous thoughts about Fist were right. “Stay on your toes… or talons? Whatever you two have. Let’s move.”

Shepard maneuvered behind cover and took the first shot against Fist’s thugs. Fist had come very prepared, but to Shepard’s surprise, the team handled it well. She had expected Wrex to shrug her orders or suggestions and yet it appeared he had listened… mostly. But no one was injured, at least injured badly enough that medi gel couldn’t fix the problem.

Fist had been the last person that the team had taken care of, albeit Wrex had taken care of, but the guy had killed and harmed many, so it was hard to feel bad about it.

“Wrex….” Shepard placed a hand on her hip as she scolded the krogan battlemaster.

Wrex shrugged, “Well, he deserved it. And I was paid to kill him. Besides we have more pressing concerns.”

That concern was a quarian who was going to meet Saren’s people. The team raced to the location and arrived in time to watch the quarian throw a smoke grenade and dive out of harm’s way.

Shepard jumped a crate, “Stay down!” She yelled to the quarian as the team worked to keep the battle away from the quarian’s location.

Shepard felt a round slice an area on her arm that wasn’t covered in armor, “Really….”

She found the culprit hiding and waited for him to take another shot. He popped his head up and she sent a round through his skull.

“Nice shot, Commander.”

Shepard turned her head to Garrus and smiled, “I know my way around this gun.”

“What about other guns?” Wrex sent a shotgun round through another merc.

“Wrex!” Garrus shouted, but glanced at Shepard when he heard her laugh.

“I don’t think I’ve had complaints before.” She heard Wrex’s howling laugh as Garrus shook his head.

Once the area was clear, Shepard approached the quarian, “Are you okay?”

Shepard held her hand out to the quarian and lifted her to her feet, “Yes I am. Fist set me up! I knew I couldn’t trust him.”

Shepard realized how naïve this quarian was; knowledgeable, but naïve. “We heard you had something.”

“I do. I found this off a geth during my travels.”

“How did you get it off a geth?” Shepard inquired.

“If you know geth, like my people do, you can get some stuff if you are quick and careful.”

“Good to know. Let’s get to Udina’s office.”

Garrus observed the interaction between Tali and Shepard as they headed to Udina’s office. He was amazed at how she reacted to her. Shepard was kind to Tali; didn’t look down on her like so many species did, including his own. She seemed to show genuine curiosity to quarian culture. Everyone stood in Udina’s office and listened to Saren’s voice play through Tali’s omni-tool. Garrus clenched his fists in anger. He was right. Saren turned his back on not only the turians, but all species. Shepard stared at his hands as they got tighter. Garrus twisted his head slightly to find her eyes upon him. She gave him a sign to calm down and as he slowly unclenched his fists he realized he had drawn blood. There wasn’t time to deal with it now as the crew headed to the Council. Garrus had never stood in front of the Council before, but he had to admit, throwing the proof at them made him feel a bit better. Even more so to see the look of anger on Pallin’s face. Shepard had more patience with them than he did. He wasn’t too surprised when the Council made her a Spectre. She accepted it more graciously than he thought she would have, but then again, she had been surprising him as they spent more time together.

After running a couple of more errands around the Citadel, including seeing an asari Consort, everyone headed to the Normandy. The crew stood together in the slow-moving elevator.

“So, Shepard.”

“Yes, Wrex.”

“How did it go with the Consort?”

“It went.”

Wrex nudged her, “Come on… nothing more than ‘it went’. Details, Shepard.”

Shepard turned towards Wrex, “Wrex, are you asking me if the Consort and I got hot and heavy while you guys waited outside?”

Garrus angeled his head, becoming more interested in the conversation.

“Duh.”

Shepard tsked, “Wrex, I don’t kiss and tell.”

Wrex rolled his eyes at her, “I call bullshit on all of that.”

Shepard turned back to the doors as they reached the floor, “Maybe if you’re lucky I’ll eventually tell you.” Shepard winked at him.

The doors opened and the joy that was in the elevator dissipated. “If Udina is here, this isn’t going to be good.” Shepard threw her shoulders back and strode towards Anderson and Udina.

The Normandy was being handed over to Shepard as Anderson was be transferred elsewhere. Garrus caught the glare sent to Udina as the man continued to talk. He never liked the ambassador and neither did Shepard, apparently. However, he caught the look that was exchanged between Anderson and Shepard. Not one of lovers, but closer to a father and daughter. Another facet of his CO that he was curious about. After Shepard had finished her questions and gave one last handshake to Anderson, the team headed inside.

Shepard turned around to address her new crew members, “I wasn’t expecting to bring on more crew members, so, unfortunately, the only real space is in the cargo hold.”

Tali stepped forward worrying her hands, “If it would be okay, could I set a space up somewhere in engineering? I promise I won’t get in the way. I won’t-.”

Shepard placed her hand over the quarian’s, stopping the movement, “If you want to and can find a space, be my guest.”

She looked up at Garrus and Wrex, “The cargo has more space for you two to stretch out. The cots and what not should be down there for you two to set up wherever you like.”

Garrus gave a slight nod, “I’m sure we will be okay.”

Wrex snorted at his comment, “Krogan can sleep anywhere. We aren’t as weak as you humans.”

Shepard lifted a brow, “I could sleep anywhere too if I had as much… padding as your giant turtle ass.”

Garrus and Tali tried to hide their laughter. Wrex glared at Shepard. She punched him in the shoulder, “Oh come on, big guy. All in jest.”

She heard him grunt, “Glad to see you don’t have a stick up your ass, Shepard.”

“Yeah. I had to get surgery because it was so far up there.”

Wrex slapped her shoulder as he moved past, “I think I actually like you.”

The rest of the team had dispersed and Shepard headed to her locker to stow her gear. She finished putting her weapons away and watched Garrus head towards the med bay. She closed the locker door and caught up with him.

“Hey, how are the palms.”

Garrus stared at them, “Well they stopped bleeding for now, so that’s good, right?”

Shepard chuckled, “Yeah usually. Come on I’ll help clean them up.”

Garrus looked at her in surprise, “It’s okay Commander, I can do it.”

Shepard waved his comment off, “I know you can, but we haven’t got everything for you and Tali yet, we are waiting on the last shipment right now and Chakwas went out to pick up a few more items. So, for now, I will help and use the human bandages and turian creams.” 

“Sit down, I’ll grab the stuff.”

Garrus did as he was told, but was still surprised at her actions. She found what she was looking for and walked back to him.

“Okay, I don’t know if this is going to sting, so let me know.”

“Please Commander, I’m a turian I can take- AH!”

Shepard stopped, “Are you okay? I’m sorry.”

Garrus bent his head down to make eye contact with her, smirking as her eyes met his.

“Really….” Shepard grabbed his hand and pressed down on his lacerations.

“Ow! Okay yeah, that hurts.”

“But I thought you were a big, tough turian?”

Shepard went back to work on his hands. His gaze moved to the med bay window and spotted the human male from before, Kaidan, staring at them. He sneered at the interaction and stormed from the window. Well then, Garrus thought, looks like someone might have a thing for the Commander. Before he knew it, Shepard had moved between his legs and was holding his hand up, inspecting it. “That one looks good.” She stated before grabbing his other and continued with her inspection. Garrus studied the Commander as she worked. She had full hips, but a smaller waist. A slightly longer neck than most humans he had seen and he could see the pulse in her neck beat in time with her heart.

He was entranced by that spot, not breaking eye contact until Shepard had said something, “I think those are good. Just leave them on for at least today and you should be okay tomorrow.”

Shepard let go of his hand and Garrus stared at the bandages.

“Thank you, Commander.”

Shepard had thrown the items away and turned to him, “No problem big guy. I do what I can for my crew. Even big chickens like you.”

Garrus stared at her before chuckling, “Whatever you say squishy.”

Shepard looked down at her body, “Hey… I’m not that squishy.” She poked herself as she said it.

Garrus hopped off the table. “Compared to turians, all humans are squishy.”

Shepard looked back up at him, “Yeah, yeah. Let me know if you need anything. I got reports to do.”

Shepard waved at him as she headed to her private quarters. Garrus stood outside the med bay, watching her round the corner. As Garrus watched his new commanding officer walk away, he found himself wanting to know more about her. His thoughts stopped as he could feel daggers piercing his back and glanced over at Kaidan’s area. Yeah, the man was either infatuated with her or didn’t like aliens. Garrus went with the former judging by his stance, previous interactions, and heartbeat. Garrus couldn’t resist, so he winked at the human before heading down to cargo. He could almost hear the steam coming out of the human’s ears.


	2. You and Shepard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuation of the first. Side talks. Jokes. Banter. Love-Sick Puppy. Stuff that isn't in the game. Artistic license.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I own nothing. Everything to Bioware/EA. Please don't be afraid to comment. Just, please keep it civil! Again first fanfic. I'm writing this how I see the characters, which some may not enjoy. But hopefully they grow on you.

The Mako touched down on Therum, “So, we came here to find some doctor?”

Shepard checked the sensors and radar, “Yep.”

“Great. We have to search a planet, with lava everywhere, for some doctor.”

“Well, if the big, bad turian can’t handle it, he can go back to the ship.” Shepard jabbed. Tali chuckled behind her mask.

“I’m just saying it is hot. And there are plenty of death spots that we can fall into.”

Shepard began driving the Mako forward, “I agree. But I’m an amazing driver. Plus, we got the ac working. However, I have a feeling the moment we step out I’m going to be sweating balls.”

Tali and Garrus glanced at one another in confusion before Tali spoke up, “How does one sweat balls?” Shepard started laughing, causing her to almost hit a boulder.

“Yeah… amazing.” Everyone could feel Garrus’ eyes roll.

“You distracted me. Anyway, it’s a human expression. Means I’m going to be sweating profusely due to the heat.” The two looked back at each other and shrugged.

It wasn’t long before three large turrets came into view. “Well, this is going to suck.”

“If we go straight that is suicide.” Garrus commented.

“There must be an alternate path.” Tali added.

Shepard located a path to the right, but it was too small for the Mako. “There is one over there, but we will have to hoof it.”

The squad took the small path, finding one turret in their way. It was more easily dispatched, compared to the work it would have taken to remove the first three. However, what waited for them further down was a different matter.

“Shit. This is going to get a bit difficult.”

Shepard turned to her two team members, “Tali do what you can from afar. Try to avoid directly engaging with them, unless you need to. Garrus find a good sniping position, a bit further from Tali to keep their attention off her. I’ll do what I can to keep their attention off both of you.” The team checked their gear once more before spreading out to their positions.

The battle was difficult, but everyone had come out of it okay. “Tali is your suit okay?”

“Yes. No cuts or damage to it.”

“Garrus, any damage?”

“No. Was close a couple of times, but thanks to some crazy person I avoided further harm.”

Shepard smirked, “I know not what you speak of.” Garrus shook his head. “Come on, let’s go.”

As Shepard turned Garrus noticed damage to the side of her leg. He grabbed her arm to stop her, “What?”

He bent down to inspect it. It was still bleeding. “Don’t move. You got hit in the thigh.”

Shepard looked down to see what he was talking about, “Oh, I didn’t even realize. Thanks.”

Garrus merely nodded as he applied some medi gel to her leg. “Should be okay. I’d have Chakwas check just in case.”

Shepard leaned against the elevator, “Either the geth want this doctor badly or they want something else that is here.”

She checked her team out of the corner of her eye. She could see the exhaustion building, but no one complained and kept moving forward. She appreciated that. The search for Saren wasn’t going to be easy and if they started complaining during a short search for someone… they weren’t going to be of use for the rest of the mission. The elevator stopped and they jumped off the pathway.

“Uh… hello? Could somebody help me? Please?” Shepard, Garrus, and Tali discovered an asari trapped in a blue forcefield. “Can you hear me out there? I am trapped. I need help!”

“Well, that is obvious. Guess we found the doctor.”

Shepard moved closer to the forcefield while her team set up security. “Are you okay? What happened to you?” Shepard examined the forcefield surrounding the asari.

“Listen. This thing I am in is a Prothean security device. I cannot move, so I need you to get me out of it. All right?”

Shepard sat back into her hip, “Quick question, how did you end up in there?”

“I was exploring the ruins when the geth showed up, so I hid in here. Can you believe that? Geth! Beyond the Veil! I activated the tower’s defenses. I knew the barrier curtains would keep them out. When I turned it on, I must have hit something I wasn’t supposed to. I was trapped in here. You must get me out. Please.”

“Before I do that, there is something I need to know. Your mother is working with Saren. Whose side are you on?” Shepard searched her face as she waited for the response.

“What? I am not on anybody’s side! I may be Benezia’s daughter, but I’m nothing like her! I have not spoken to her in years. Please. Just get me out of here.”

Garrus leaned forward, “You believe her?”

Shepard could see the confusion and anger on the doctor’s face, “I don’t think she is lying. She sounded quite adamant about her not being like her mother.” 

“Stay calm. We just need to figure out some way past this energy field.”

“Stay calm. Funny. Like I can go anywhere anyway.”

Shepard had spotted a device as the team made their way down, “Explosions.” Garrus could have sworn that a maniacal laugh came from her as she said that.

Everyone stood on the elevator as it rose to the surface, watching as it finally reached the top. However, a krogan and geth squad awaited their arrival.

“Shit.”

“Surrender. Or don’t. That would be more fun.” The krogan bellowed.

“In case you didn’t notice, this place is falling apart. Quite literally.” Shepard gave covert signals to her team as she kept the krogran distracted.

“Exhilarating, isn’t it? Thanks for getting rid of those energy fields for us. Hand the doctor over.”

Liara jumped into the conversation, “Whatever you want, you’re not getting it from me.”

Shepard turned her attention to Liara for a short moment, “Look at you being all aggressive.”

She turned back to the krogan, “Uh no dice. She’ll stay with us, thanks. Have a good day.”

The krogan shook his head, “Not an option. Saren wants her.” The annoyance that was in Liara’s eyes, was now replaced with fear. “And he always gets what he wants. Kill them. Spare the asari if you can. If not, doesn’t matter.” The geth seemed much easier compared to the krogan.

The krogan spotted Tali out of his peripheral and turned to charge her. “Tali!” Shepard sprinted towards her, taking much of the impact from the krogan as they rolled away.

Shepard pushed herself off Tali, “You okay?”

“Y-yes. Thank you, Shepard. Are you hurt?”

She knew she was going to feel it later, but with the adrenaline and medi gel, most of the pain was pushed aside. “I'm fine. Keep low and away from him.”

Shepard jumped from cover and ran back to the fight. The krogan was dispatched, but now they had to escape the ruins as it fell apart around them. Shepard stopped running to check on the team. “Move! Move! Move!” She yelled, ushering them past her. The team bounded out of the tunnel; the Normandy hovering above them.

The team sat in the briefing room, “Too close, Commander. Ten more seconds and we would’ve been swimming in molten sulphur. The Normandy isn’t equipped to land in exploding volcanoes. They tend to fry our sensors and melt our hull. Just for future reference.”

Liara bristled at Joker’s comments, “We almost died out there and your pilot is making jokes?”

Shepard leaned against the console, crossing her arms, “Joker pulled our asses out of there. I think he’s earned a right to a few jokes. Even if they are bad ones.”

“Hey! My jokes are comedy gold.”

“Yeah if you mean shit spray painted gold, then sure.”

“You wound me, Commander.”

Liara relaxed slightly, “I see. It must be a human thing. I don’t have a lot of experience dealing with your species, Commander.” She straightened in her chair, “But I am grateful to you. You saved my life back there. And not just from the volcano. Those geth would have killed me. Or dragged me off to Saren.”

“What did Saren want with you? Do you know something about the Conduit?” Kadian questioned.

“Only that it was somehow connected to the Prothean extinction. That is my real area of expertise. I have spent the past fifty years trying to figure out what happened to them.”

Shepard cocked her head at Liara, “How old are you, exactly?”

Liara shifted slightly in her seat, “I hate to admit it, but I am only a hundred and six.”

“Damn! I hope I look that good when I’m your age.” Ashley remarked.

Shepard finished her reports and conference with the Council. She sat in the mess, relaxing after finishing her meal. It was quiet as most were asleep. Shepard appreciated it as she wasn’t up to doing a lot of mingling at the moment. She heard the elevator doors open and watched as Garrus entered the area.

“Garrus.”

“Commander.”

She motioned to the seat across from her. Garrus grabbed a drink before taking a seat.

“So, how are you feeling? I saw you take the hit from that krogan.”

Shepard rolled her head from side to side, “I hurt. Doc gave me a bit of pain medicine. I’m sure I’ll feel more damage tomorrow, but for now, I’m doing okay, considering.”

Garrus knew the damage a charging krogan could do. The damage that Tali would have taken could have killed the girl. But a human had come to her rescue and absorbed most if not all of it.

“Well, I’m sure Tali was appreciative.”

“She keeps thanking me. I finally had to order her to stop it.”

Garrus turned his eyes toward Shepard, “You did something not many would have done. You showed her more kindness than I’m sure she has ever received from anyone, outside of the flotilla.”

“This from experience?”

Garrus leaned back in his chair, “My time at C-Sec I saw a lot. Not many are kind or considerate toward quarians. I had to break up a lot of fights and deal with a lot of complaints from people simply because a quarian was near their store.”

Shepard’s eyes moved to her cup. Although her eyes were partly obscured, Garrus witnessed something appear in her eyes. “Well, I’m not like them. She is part of my team too. I look out for my team.”

She lifted her head and whatever had been there was no longer present. He watched her roll her shoulders once more.

“I wish we had a masseuse.” She looked at Garrus, “Want to rub me down, big guy?”

Shepard watched as a look of shock and confusion appeared on his face, “Shepard… I-uh… I’m not- uh.”

He heard her start to laugh, “Calm down. I don’t want you blowing a blood vessel. I was joking.”

He slowly began to turn to normal. “I can’t say I’ve had many joke with me in such a manner. If you were turian I would have.”

Shepard smirked, “Well, damn. And here I was hoping the big thunder chicken would want to go for a roll in the hay. Whatever will I do now?”

Garrus chuckled, “Well, squishy… I think Kaidan would be more than willing to help sort that out for you.”

He watched her head fall to the table with a thud, “Why did you have to ruin it.”

“Not interested? I’d have said Joker, but I think you’d break him.”

She lifted her head, “That is a guarantee. Wouldn’t get past taking his shirt off before I broke his arm.”

He watched her stretch. As a turian he could appreciate her slim waist. He was curious if it was as sensitive as a female turian’s.

His train of thought came to an immediate stop.

“Well, I’m going to take a hot shower and try to sleep. Hopefully, I’ll feel less like being run over by a semi. Have a good night Garrus.”

“You too, Commander.” Garrus watched her head to her room. His mind returning to her small waist.

Shepard was making her daily rounds. It was something the crew had become accustomed to as time went on. Garrus was confused when she had first started, but he realized it boosted morale and kept her informed of any problems going on with the ship as well as the crew. She finally arrived at Garrus’ station to find him staring at his console.

“Hey Garrus, you okay?” Shepard asked.

“Yeah, uh… I have something I want to talk to you about.”

Shepard sensed the seriousness of the situation, “Sure, what’s going on?”

Shepard leaned against the Mako and watched as Garrus strode back and forth in front of her, clearly agitated.

“You remember when I told you about that salarian geneticist who escaped from the Citadel?” Shepard nodded.

“Well, I got the transponder frequency for his new ship, but I just can’t get anyone to check it out.” Garrus locked eyes with Shepard, beseeching her help.

“I can check out the coordinates for you.” She had said it so matter-of-factly, that Garrus knew she was going to help him.

“I was hoping you’d say that. But, Commander, take me with you when you go. If it is Saleon, I want to be there when you find him.”

Shepard pushed herself off the Mako, “Of course, Garrus. I’ll let you know when we determine the location and are heading that way.” Shepard waved goodbye as she headed back to the elevator.

Garrus had accompanied Shepard on numerous missions. He found, as time went on, that the bond between them was building and he considered her one of his best friends. They were a lot alike and he appreciated it. As a turian it was hard to find someone that matched him. He wasn’t the diehard military and rule follower that the others were. His dad had expressed anger when he mentioned his interest in being a Spectre. They had quite a few arguments over that before he settled for his job in C-Sec. It was disheartening and angered him to see good people go through hell and he could do nothing because of the mountains of red tape. There were times where he could have solved the problem and prevented further harm, but was faced with a thick book of regulations and the situation ended badly.

While he was different, it didn’t mean he was alone. He had friends and acquaintances, but no one he really considered a best or close friend. It wasn’t much better when it came to relationships. He had a few that lasted for a while, but mostly it was meeting women to release tension or out of boredom. His dad and sister kept hinting, well his father hinted, his sister straight out asked about his single life and how he should find someone to settle down with. Telling his father, he was joining a Spectre to hunt down a rogue Spectre upset him. When he found out it was a rogue turian Spectre, it made the whole leaving C-Sec thing smaller in comparison.

However, meeting Shepard and spending the time he did with her, made him feel better about how he felt towards himself. She was different from most of the humans he had met, but she didn’t seem bothered by it. She appeared to enjoy being who she was. She didn’t keep her crew at a distance like some COs. She joked with her crew. Treated them like adults. Dealt out punishment and praise fairly. And her crew respected her, even Wrex. Not something Garrus expected, but she treated him like she would anyone else. The three often spoke about the missions, the crew, and Shepard. When relaying the story of the charging krogan, Wrex called her stupid, but admired her tenacity and strength. However, one night had been particularly interesting.

“So.” Wrex plopped down on the cargo floor, tossing a drink to Garrus.

“Thanks. So, what?” He opened the drink and tossed it back.

“You and Shepard.”

Garrus glanced over at him, “What about us?”

“Are you guys going to get together or what?”

Garrus almost spit liquid all over himself, “Excuse me?” He coughed out as Wrex smirked at him.

“Well, I watch you two and I hear how you two talk to one another. So…”

Garrus collected himself and leaned back against the cargo boxes, “It’s in jest, Wrex. She is a friend, probably my best friend.”

Wrex cocked his head at him, “And? Friends can’t get together or something?”

Garrus took another drink, “Yeah, but I don’t have an interest or fetish for humans. I prefer turians.”

Wrex turned his attention forward. He believed Garrus about his interest in humans, but he didn’t agree with his lack of interest in Shepard. Garrus said he had no interest in humans, not Shepard specifically. Wrex didn’t point it out and Garrus’ lack of further explanation solidified his decision regarding the two.

“If you say so. Well, if you aren’t going to move on her, I have a feeling that human male… Kaidan or whatever, will.” Garrus stared at the elevator, thinking back to when he glared at him in the med bay.

“Yeah. He can try. Don’t think that is going to go well.”

“Oh yeah?” Wrex asked as he finished off his drink.

“Yeah. I’ve been watching them. Cause apparently I am as nosey as this one krogan I know.” He looked deliberately at Wrex, making him laugh.

“She tries not to say anything that could give the wrong impression and keeps distance between them. It is one of the reasons she doesn’t take him on many missions.”

“What’s the other reason?”

“His implants. One mission he went on a while back he pushed himself so far that he passed out and Shepard had to rescue him. Put the mission in danger. He didn’t pass out on another mission, but his nosebleeds and migraines happen a lot when they go out. She is afraid he may cause more harm than good. Our missions aren’t exactly easy, so it is understandable.”

Wrex grunted in agreement. The two called it a night later on, but Garrus kept thinking back to what Wrex had said about him and Shepard. He wasn’t the first to ask if something was going on, but he was the first to tell him he should. But he had no interest in humans… right?

Most missions consisted of Garrus, Wrex, and Tali accompanying Shepard, but the next one was different.

“Alright, Liara, Wrex, suit up. We are heading to Noveria.” Shepard yelled out as she grabbed some last-minute items.

“What is going on in Noveria?” Garrus asked, he wanted to ask why he couldn’t tag along, but then he would be no better than Kaidan. Not like he didn’t know why Kaidan asked, the man was clearly infatuated with Shepard.

Whether he cared about her because of who she was or because of what she represented, he wasn’t sure. Then again why did he care, not like her personal life, especially that aspect was any of his business.

“From our reports, that is where Liara’s mother, Matriarch Benezia is located. Sorry, Garrus, I would take you but I know how weak you become in the cold.” Shepard smirked at him.

“I’m not weak… I just don’t care for it. Besides I had some calibrations and stuff to do anyway.”

Shepard chuckled at his response, “Right because a turian would choose calibrations overshooting stuff. Whatever makes you feel better big guy.”

Noveria did not go well, mostly for Liara. Shepard sat in the empty mess deck staring at the tea in her cup. She heard the elevator ping, but didn’t look at who it was.

Garrus saw her slumped in the chair, “Shepard.” He grabbed a dextro-drink out of the fridge and sat next to her. They sat in silence for a few moments till she released a long sigh.

“Rough day?” He asked.

Shepard groaned, “Rough doesn’t even cut it. Liara met her mother under some of the worse conditions I can imagine. She’s dead by the way. Oh, and I let a Rachni queen out. Hopefully, that doesn’t bite me in the ass. How was your day?”

Garrus looked at her out of the corner of his eye, “Well ya know, calibrated stuff. Messed with Kaidan. Complained about the food. The usual.”

Shepard finally smiled. Garrus felt something stir in his chest as he watched the smile spread across her face. She had been so troubled and now was smiling at him.

“I’m sure Kaidan deserved whatever it is you did. That boy. I swear.” Garrus knew she had something to say so he waited. “He is a good soldier, but I think his infatuation is getting to be a bit much.”

Garrus tilted his head at her, “Just infatuation?” “Yeah. I don’t know. I don’t think he loves me. Then again he might think he does.”

Shepard dropped her head to the table, “I don’t know.”

After a moment, she lifted her head and leaned back in her chair, putting her arm on Garrus’ chair to stare up at the ceiling. “God, I don’t know. I think either option won’t turn out well. I don’t think he wants just a simple roll in the hay.”

She glanced at Garrus, giving him a small smile. “Then again, I think the sex will get him under control. Release some tension and all.” Garrus began coughing on his drink.

Shepard laughed as she slapped his back. “What, did me talking about sex make the big bad turian uncomfortable?”

Garrus peered over at her, “Shepard, never worry about making me uncomfortable.”

Shepard cocked her head at him, something was in his eyes, but what she couldn’t be sure. “So, what are you really going to do?”

Shepard stared at the table, “Well soon he will probably find his balls and approach me. Until then, I don’t think I’m going to say anything.”

Garrus swirled his drink. She didn’t seem quite interested in sleeping with him. That was a plus. Wait… what?

Garrus mentally shook the thought away. Besides, she deserved someone better than a love-sick puppy. Garrus gave her a quick glance. Yeah, she deserved a lot better.

“You are so warm.” Shepard moved her hand against his back a couple of times. A low rumble escaped him, but Shepard made no comment about it.

Garrus relaxed once more. “I’m not sure he will approach you unless he thinks someone else is going to take you to bed.”

Shepard stared at the ceiling. “Maybe.”

After a quiet moment, Shepard snapped her head towards Garrus, “I forgot to ask. What’s up with you and Dr. Michel?”

Garrus twisted his head slightly to look at her, “Uh, what?”

“You and the doctor? I’d say ya’ll are together by the way she acts.”

Garrus raised a brow plate, “Are you asking if the doctor and I are in an interspecies liaison?”

He heard Shepard snicker, “An interspecies what? Is that your way of saying sex between two different species?” Garrus shrugged.

“That is the first I’ve heard someone say that.” Shepard took a minute to compose herself, “Seriously though. What’s up?”

Garrus turned his upper torso towards Shepard. He ran a talon down her neck, “Why are you so interested Shepard? Jealous?”

Shepard waved his hand away as Garrus chuckled, “No, Shepard. Nothing happening there. Not interested in humans.”

“Well, she wants something to be there if you haven’t noticed.”

“What? No, she doesn’t.”

Shepard shook her head, “Garrus… I swear. For being so quick, when it comes to women you are clueless.”

“Well, I’m not so bad with turian women.”

“I’d hope not, considering it is your species. But other women. She has been sending you signals every time we have gone to see her. I mean buying you special dextro snacks and stuff. Come on, big guy.”

Garrus thought for a moment, “But you’ve done that too, Shepard.”

“Yeah because you are part of my team and have saved my ass a few times.”

She saw Garrus’ hand move to his chest, “You hurt me, Shepard. Here I thought you were falling in love with me. What will I do now?”

Shepard shoved him as she laughed, “Didn’t mean to burst your bubble. Guess you’ll have to drown your sorrows in some turian woman.” Garrus laughed with her.

“Well, as fun as it is talking about your sex life, I have a couple reports to go over then I’m going to try and sleep.” Shepard looked down at Garrus, putting her hand on his shoulder, “Thanks for listening Garrus. I appreciate it.”

Garrus looked up at her, she was smiling in that way again, “You are welcome, Shepard. I’m here if you need me. Even if it is about your love-sick puppy.”

Shepard tossed her head back and let out a deep laugh, “Lord, that is exactly what he is. Goodnight big guy.”

Garrus sniffed the air and realized that her scent surrounded him even after she had left. He stayed until the smell had started to dissipate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I try to keep things moving and I always enjoyed stories that added more conversations, than longer explanations. (Personal preference. Not talking down about others who do not.) If you would like to see more explanations or inside thoughts etc. please let me know. Also, I do not give Shepard a first name, at least for now. I like to allow people to imagine themselves or give better immersion into the story. Just like you can name yourself in the game, I am trying to allow you, the reader, to name yourself in the story.


	3. Big Softy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moving forward with the story. Armor. Doctor. Raptor Chicken. Big Softy Turtle. Emotional Tali. No needles, please.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own and claim nothing. All given to Bioware/EA.

Wrex and Garrus stood in the stronghold where the reports of Geth had pointed them to.

Shepard's eyes roamed around the area, “Last one. Let’s get this over with.”

They entered one of the last rooms, which contained two decks. The geth were going down one by one, but Shepard spotted the glint of something from the top floor and looked over at Garrus. The shooter was aiming right at him, but Garrus was focused on the group in front of him.

“Garrus!” Shepard employed her biotics to toss him from his location and into the corner away from the sniper.

However, the shot switched to her the moment she stood. “Shit!” Shepard fell to the ground behind the crates.

“Shepard!” She heard the simultaneous roar from Wrex and Garrus.

“I’m fine! Take that walking garbage can down!”

Shepard applied medi gel to the wound as Garrus aimed his sniper rifle towards the geth’s location, taking it out with a single shot. Wrex charged while Shepard began shooting the remaining geth down.

When the fight had ended Shepard spotted a piece of information relating to geth. 

“Hmmm… I think Tali can use this.” As she turned, pain shot through her side, “Damn it.” 

Garrus rushed to her side, “Shepard are you okay?” 

Shepard pulled her hand, now covered in blood, from her side. “Yeah… but I think that shot may have done more than I thought. That medi gel sucks by the way.” 

Shepard tried to laugh but soon went unconscious, falling into Garrus as her legs gave out. 

“Wrex, we have to get back to the Normandy!” Garrus lifted her, cradling her in his arms. He could still hear her heart. He concentrated on it as the two rushed through the building.

Garrus paced outside the med bay since Dr. Chakwas kicked him out. Most everyone had come to check on her progress, but Garrus stayed outside the room. It was his fault she was in there right now. If he had paid more attention... Kaidan appeared and took a spot in front of the window. He turned his head slightly to sneer at Garrus. 

“What?” Garrus stopped his pacing to face the man. 

“You put her in there.” 

“You don’t think I know that?” Garrus growled. 

“I don’t know what she sees in you, but after this, I hope she wises up. Can’t trust you to protect her anymore.”

Garrus stood toe to talon with the man, “At least I’m not some love-sick puppy hounding her heels hoping for just a bit of attention. But then her attention does go elsewhere.” Garrus could see his face become redder as he tried to restrain his anger. 

“Shepard needs a crew she can trust. A crew she can count on. But you, she’ll have no interest in some alien she can’t depend on. An alien who can’t support and protect her.” The redness in Kaidan’s face finally came down as he struck the verbal jab at Garrus. Garrus’ growl intensified as the doors to the med bay swooshed open.

Dr. Chakwas stood staring between the two. “If you two are quite done,” Chakwas’ mother voice turned the two grown men into little boys in an instant. 

“She is stable, but she needs rest. Do not disturb her.” The two men merely nodded as they stared at their feet. 

Chakwas turned to Garrus, “You can go in there now. Do not try to wake her.” 

Garrus gave a quick nod, “Thank you, doctor.” He moved quickly into the med bay. 

She turned to Kaidan, “Go cool down. She is stable. If you go in there later, you better not fight in my lab.” 

“Understood doctor. Thank you.” Chakwas shook her head at the two and left to have a word with Joker.

Garrus stood next to her bed. He couldn’t disturb her, but he wanted to tell her how sorry he was. She was much paler than usual, which was saying something considering she was pale, to begin with. But now…. He moved a piece of her hair aside. When she started to stir, he stopped his hand. He pulled a chair over and sat in it as he watched her chest rise and fall. Garrus had heard what Chakwas had said to Kaidan and was glad he wasn’t coming in at that moment. The doctor had closed off the windows, so it was a bit darker for Shepard to rest.

He sat with his head in his palms for what seemed like an eternity. He heard her heart begin to speed up and he lifted his head to see her glancing around. 

He rose from the chair and gripped her hand, “Hey. It’s okay Shepard. You’re on the Normandy, in the med bay.” 

Shepard eyed Garrus and began to settle back down. “Hey, Garrus.” Her voice was rough… hoarse and deeper than usual. 

Garrus winced inwardly. “Hey, squishy.” 

Shepard smiled, but it came out a crooked, “Did we get the info out and kill those bastards.” 

Garrus chuckled slightly, “Yeah. Wrex plowed through the rest on the way back. Almost took out a wall.”

Shepard began to laugh, but then sucked a breath through clenched teeth. “Oh… don’t make me laugh. But that does sound like the big ugly guy.” 

Garrus cringed inwardly again. If it weren't for him, she wouldn’t be here. Garrus couldn’t maintain eye contact as guilt overtook him. 

“Shepard, I… I should have…. Spirits I’m sorry.” 

Shepard saw the pain on his face, “Garrus it happens. You can’t be everywhere at once.”

 “I should have been paying more attention, but instead I put you in danger.” 

“Garrus…”

The tone she used to say his name made him angrier, “No, Shepard. I slipped up. You are my CO, and my job is to protect you so that we can complete this mission. I screwed up. I’m sorry. I broke your trust and I-.” 

Shepard squeezed his hand since she couldn’t punch him. He moved his eyes back to her face, “Garrus you didn’t break my trust. Why would you think that? We are a team here, and our job is to protect one another. Mistakes are going to happen, but unless you decide to join Saren or leave this mission, you haven’t broken anything.” She gave him another crooked smile.

Her words made him feel better and worse at the same time. They made him want to hug her and shake her at the same time. 

“Shepard… I…” 

She rubbed her thumb against his talons, “It is okay, Garrus.” Garrus felt a faint purr escaped him as she rubbed his hand. 

“I’m still here. Thanks for sitting…” she yawned, “For sitting with me.” Her eyelids were getting heavy again. 

“Anytime squishy.” 

She smiled at the nickname, “You…. You won’t… leave me….” Her eyes drifted closed before she finished her sentence. 

Garrus felt a pain in his chest, “No, Shepard. I won’t leave you.” He sat back down with her hand in his, absentmindedly rubbing her knuckles.

Chakwas fought with Shepard, as usual, “Doc, I’m fine really. I can bend and everything. Wooo, look at me go!” 

Chakwas tried to cover her smile as Shepard did an awkward hula dance, “That may be, but you should relax for one more day.” 

Shepard gave an exaggerated pout, “But mom! All the other guys get to go shoot stuff!” 

Chakwas couldn’t resist smiling, just as Garrus came through the door. “No one is going anywhere until you are better.”

Garrus looked over at Shepard, then at Chakwas. “Does breaking her out of the med bay count as ‘going anywhere’?” 

The room filled with their laughter. “You two are awful. You can leave the med bay, but if you attempt to go on any missions, I will grab the biggest needle and hunt you down.” 

Shepard threw her hands up, “Okay, doc. No need to bring out the big guns. Sheesh.” As Shepard walked past her, she gave her a quick hug, “Thanks, doc.” Chakwas patted her and then shooed her out of the room.

Garrus followed her into the mess deck, “So the fearless Commander Shepard is afraid of needles.” 

“If you tell anyone I will kill you.” 

“Why Commander I would never… Hey, Shepard is-.” Shepard elbowed him, forcing the air from his lungs. “Okay guess that is a no go.” Shepard glared at him as she reached for her mug.

The two sat at the table, “I have to speak with Tali later.” Shepard swirled the coffee in her cup. 

“Why?” 

“We got that geth info, and I think that can help her whole Pilgrimage, journey, thing.” 

“Oh yeah. Guess it could.”

Shepard took a sip of her drink, “I forgot to ask. How was everyone while I was out?” 

Garrus looked down into his tea, “They were okay. Everyone came to check on you. Wrex was worried, don’t let him fool you.” 

Shepard grinned, “Aw, the big softy. I knew he cared.”

She had heard that Kaidan and Garrus had fought, but she had no idea what went on. 

“How is Kaidan?” 

“He was upset about it. Blamed me, but can’t fault him considering it was my blunder.” 

“Well, I guess he will want to talk with me soon.” 

“Oh, I’m sure. Looked so lost while his Commander was out.” 

Shepard chuckled. "Undoubtedly. What about you, big guy? Did you cry because you missed your Commander?”

Garrus raised his eyes to her face, she was smirking at him. His arm slid across the table to grasp her hand. He began to rub her knuckles as he had in the med bay, “I was a mess, Shepard. Didn’t know what to do with myself.” 

Her eyes widened a bit in surprise, but she didn’t remove her hand. She slid her eyes from his hand to his face and saw him give his usual turian smirk. Two can play this game.

“Well, don’t worry my little raptor…” She slowly stood up from the table, released his hand and ran a finger under his mandible, “Your Commander is safe and sound now.” 

She sent one last smirk his way before leaving her mug in the sink and headed to the elevator. Garrus let go of the breath he had been holding. Spirits what just happened? Her touch sent shivers down his spine. This is my Commander. A human no less. I have no interest in humans. Just wound up that’s all. A lot of stress and tension from the missions. Yeah. Stress and tension. But a small voice in a far corner of his mind was calling him a liar. 

In the med bay, Chakwas smiled to herself. Those two don’t get it. “They will eventually.” She sighed before returning to her work.

Tali stared in disbelief at the disk Shepard handed her. “Go ahead and make a copy Tali.” 

“My people—I—owe you a great debt. One I can never repay. The only thing I can offer in return is what you already have; my solemn promise to stay with you until Saren and his geth armies are defeated.” 

Shepard smiled, “I never wanted anything more. I am glad I could help you.” 

Tali embraced Shepard, “Thank you.” 

“Anytime Tali. You are part of my crew. I’m here for you.”

She could hear Tali sniff inside her suit. So emotional, but she was delightful. 

Tali backed away, “I am glad to see you are feeling better. I was worried, we all were. Probably no one more than Garrus though.” 

Shepard raised her eyebrow. “Garrus sat in the room most of the time. He and Kaidan fought outside the med bay which Chakwas had to break up. Almost had another one later, but Wrex told them to shut up.” 

“Wow. Glad that didn’t escalate. How do you know this though?” 

Tali giggled, “Cause, I hacked the cameras. I was worried about you. Don’t get mad.”

She brought up a recording on her omni-tool of the fight, Chakwas breaking it up, and Garrus entering the med bay. She switched to the med bay, and Shepard saw the interaction between her and Garrus. She saw him keep hold of her hand as she passed out. Tali closed the screen. 

“As I said, no one more than Garrus.” 

Shepard sighed, “Yeah. He felt pretty bad about what happened. I don’t think he has forgiven himself yet.” 

Tali nodded, “Yeah he thinks you won’t trust him to protect you anymore…. I mean…” Tali began twisting her hands together. 

Shepard chuckled, “It’s okay. That is what he told me too. I think he will have to work through it himself.” 

Tali nodded in agreement. “Well, I didn’t mean to interrupt your work. I have to go send out reports and respond to the mass emails from the Alliance.” 

“Thank you again, Shepard. It means a lot.” “Anytime Tali.”

During one of Shepard’s rounds, Wrex had approached her about his family’s armor. 

“I mean it isn’t a big deal or anything. Just ya know.” Shepard watched the krogan battlemaster explain his need for the family armor. Shepard found it endearing that he was trying to act so tough about it. Trying to be indifferent. And yet she could see the look in his eyes. He wanted the armor back. It mattered to him, and it wasn’t some stupid piece of outdated equipment. Regardless of how he was trying to make it appear.

Shepard could almost picture him shuffling his feet as he spoke. She placed a hand on both his arms, “We will find it, Wrex. Don’t worry.” 

Shepard watched his eyes move from her hands to her face, but he made no move to remove her grip, “It’s not that serious or anything. I just, ya know.” 

Shepard smiled at him as she released her grip, “I know, Wrex.” She waved goodbye as she continued her rounds.

Garrus had quietly observed the exchange. It was entertaining to watch as Shepard, a smaller person in comparison, touched a krogan in a way he had never witnessed before. He couldn’t think of a person brave enough to reach out and grasp a krogan arms, especially a battlemaster, and tell him in not so many words, ‘It will be okay. I will handle it.’ He even caught the fleeting smile that appeared on Wrex’s face as she waved goodbye to him. Wrex could act tough all he wanted, but out of everyone on the ship… he cared most about Shepard. He remembered how angry the krogan had become when he caught Kaidan and him fighting outside the medbay.

“Shouldn’t you be down in cargo fixing the Mako or something?”

 “Shouldn’t you mind your own business?” 

“I’m keeping this ship running, while you stand around.” 

“You don’t run anything, but your mouth.” 

Wrex exited the elevator and rounded the corner, finding the two at each other’s’ throats. Shepard was still down from the previous fight and resting nearby. 

“Enough,” Wrex stated as he calmly approached them.

The two turned to face him, “This doesn’t have anything to do with you, Wrex.” Kaidan crossed his arms as he addressed him. 

Garrus knew better and said nothing. Wrex now stood in front of the two, his eyes shifting between them. 

“I will say this once. Take your childish arguments to the cargo area. If I find out that you two disturbed Shepard, I will find you and beat you till you can’t speak.” The deadpan tone made it clear to both that Wrex would do it and the only one who could stop them was sleeping behind them. The two only nodded and watched as Wrex headed into the medbay. That moment was one of the only times he had truly feared Wrex.

Shepard had delivered Wrex’s family armor as promised. 

“This is it. I can’t believe my ancestors ever wore this piece of crap, but at least I’ve got it back.” 

Shepard knew it was more than the piece of crap he made it out to be. She took note of how he ran a claw delicately over the old armor. She watched the joy in his eyes as he stared at it. 

“I’m glad we could get it back.” 

His eyes moved from the armor to Shepard’s face, “I might just be starting to like you, Shepard.” 

“You love me, and you know it ya big turtle.” Shepard laughed, while Wrex grunted in response. “Now let’s get back to the Normandy.”

That night the crew gathered around the mess deck table, “Wrex was so appreciative to me for finding his armor, he almost cried.” 

The team laughed, even Wrex chuckled a bit, “Krogan don’t cry like you soft, weak things.” 

Shepard gave a quick pat on his arm, “Awww, Wrex, it’s okay you can admit it. We won’t judge you.” 

“Shove it, Shepard.” Shepard couldn’t contain her laughter anymore. 

She finally collected herself and turned to Garrus, “Garrus, your guy is next. You ready?” Shepard elbowed him in the side. 

“Is that even a question, squishy?”

“Squishy?” Tali asked. 

“Yeah. Cause she is a human, all soft and squishy. Not tough, like we awesome turians.” 

“Whatever you say, raptor chicken.” 

“Harsh. So harsh.” 

Everyone laughed once more, “I thought you were all tough and stuff or was that to impress the girls.” Shepard motioned to the few girls standing off to the side. 

“Commander!” One squeaked out. 

Garrus peered over at them and winked, “Well… Hello, ladies.” 

Shepard dropped her face in her hands laughing uncontrollably once more, as the girls became flustered. 

“Okay. I must take care of some stuff. Everyone have a good night.” The crew began to disperse as Shepard headed to her room.

Garrus stood in the mess deck and watched Kaidan’s gaze follow Shepard. He waited a few minutes after hearing the doors close before getting up to head to her room. For some reason, he felt like riling the boy up. He knocked on Shepard’s door. 

“Come on in.” 

It was the first time he had been into her room. “Wow, this is much nicer than the cargo area.” 

Shepard chuckled, “Yeah. Perks for running around with you shmucks.”

Garrus looked over at her, “You love me, and you know it.” 

“Whatever floats your boat buddy.” She shifted her eyes from the terminal to Garrus, “So, what did ya need.” 

Garrus leaned against the desk, “Just checking on you. See how you are feeling after that mission.” 

“Better. I think my side is back to normal.” 

She raised her arms above her head to stretch. Garrus watched as her torso became longer and her waist, more accentuated. He felt something stir in himself but ignored it.

“Aw, come on Shepard. You don’t want to do it again? I’m sure it will be more fun next time.” 

Shepard glared up at him, “Sure, so awesome you can take my place, ya oversized turkey.” 

Garrus placed a hand on his chest, “Shepard!” 

Shepard laughed at his feigned attempt at being offended, “Aw, I didn’t know you were so sensitive, Garrus. Do you want me to rub your head and tell you it will all be okay?” 

Garrus leaned down a bit, “Well if you want to… I wouldn’t mind.” Shepard raised a brow at him as he returned to his standing position.

Shepard reached up to pull out the contraption that was restraining her hair. Garrus watched it fall. Her hair was much longer than he realized. It was always up, so it was hard to determine the actual length. The smell of cinnamon and… something else was everywhere in the room, but when she let her hair down it blew more of the scent into him. 

“Your fringe…. Er hair.” Garrus moved closer to her. 

“What about it?” She asked as she looked up at him from her lounging position. 

“It is much longer than I thought.” He reached out, but stopped. 

Shepard saw his reaction, “Go ahead and touch it. You aren’t hurting anything.”

Garrus fluttered his mandibles in response and reached out to run her hair through his talons. 

Shepard closed her eyes as he did so, letting out a small moan, “That feels nice, Garrus.” 

Garrus could hear her heartbeat increase, but she seemed relaxed on the outside. Garrus also began to react to the situation and her moaning. He ignored his reactions and instead focused on the strands of hair he brought up to his nose. The doors to the cabin opened, and Garrus jerked his head towards the sound. Shepard slowly opened her eyes to find Kaidan glaring at Garrus. Great… like I needed this right now. She groaned inwardly.

“Yes, Kaidan.” 

He shifted his eyes from Garrus to the hair he was holding, to Shepard lounging in her chair. “I didn’t mean to disturb you. I can come back-.” 

Garrus allowed the strands of her hair to leave his hand. “It’s okay. I was just leaving. Good night, Shepard.” 

“See ya, Garrus.” A sly smirk appeared as he headed to the elevator. He reached to rub his eye, but paused when he could smell her on his hand. Her smell lingered and, unlike previous instants with other individuals, he didn’t feel the urge to wash it off. He took a deep breath and leaned back in the elevator.

After a couple of missions, Shepard had found the information she needed. 

“Garrus, Wrex, suit up,” Shepard shouted as she buckled a few pieces of armor together. 

“What’s up, Shepard?” Wrex questioned.

“We found the doctor. Finally locked down the location, so we are going to be there in a few.” 

As they boarded the ship, the crew immediately felt something wrong. 

“Where is everyone?” Garrus scanned the empty, quiet area. 

“This ship smells wrong,” Wrex added. 

“Let’s move further in.”

The rooms were mostly empty, but as Shepard opened the next set of doors husks rushed them. 

“Shit. What the hell are those things?” 

Shepard and the crew began firing upon the weird green creatures as they advanced upon them. These beings slightly resembled the husks she had encountered on Eden Prime, but the color and actions were wrong. The doors to the last room opened, and there stood the doctor. 

“Thank you. Thank you for saving me from those things.”

Garrus’ subharmonics reached into the lower ranges, vibrating a bit quicker than usual, “Commander. That’s him. That’s Dr. Saleon.” 

The doctor looked confused, “What? My name is Heart. Dr. Heart. Please, get me out of here.” 

“Are you sure it’s him?” Shepard asked. 

“Positive.” Garrus stared the doctor down, “There’s no escape this time, Doctor.” Garrus threw his title at him with disgust, “I’d harvest your organs first, but we don’t have the time.” 

“You’re crazy. He’s crazy. Please, don’t let him do this to me.” The doctor pleaded with Shepard.

Shepard now found herself struggling with an internal battle. She wanted to let Garrus take him out, but they could take him and turn him over to the authorities. However, something in the doctor’s eyes told her things might not turn out well either way. 

“We’ll take him in. Drop him off with the military.” 

“But… we have him. We can’t let him get away. Not again?” 

She could hear the hurt in his voice, “Think about it Garrus. If he dies, we’ll never know what he’s been up to or how he did it. We’ll take him in, interrogate him, and he’ll serve his time. If he refuses… well, then you can take him out.” 

Somehow saying that didn’t make her feel better about the situation.

Garrus sighed, “I’ve—Okay. You’re right. You’re a very lucky salarian. You owe the commander your life.” 

The doctor appeared excited, “Oh, thank you so very much!” 

But, the doctor had no intention of giving himself up to face trial. He bolted for the back of the room, but Garrus took him out with one shot. 

“And so, he dies anyway. What was the point of that?” Garrus was frustrated and angry, clenching and unclenching his fists as he watched the doctor bleed out.

“All that for the guy to die anyway.” 

Shepard turned to him and put her hand on his shoulder, “You can’t predict how people will act, Garrus. But you can control how you’ll respond. In the end, that’s what matters.” 

Garrus shook his head, “Yeah. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone like you, Commander.” 

He watched as the puddle grew underneath the doctor, “Well… I guess we’re done here.” 

Shepard watched her friend turn away and began walking back to the Normandy. Shepard hurt for him, but there was nothing she could do or say to make the situation better. Wrex placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it before heading out of the room. Shepard downloaded the data from the doctor’s omni-tool before following the two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you think!


	4. I Said Sexy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuing again. Nightly chats. Say it... say it! Citadel. Dancing? Changing, adding, the usual.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing. All Bioware/EA. Enjoy the chapter and let me know what you think!

The Normandy was enroute to the Citadel to restock and complete a couple of assignments, as well as enjoy a short break. Shepard was making her rounds and stepped out of the elevator into the cargo area. After a time, Garrus could distinguish her footsteps from the rest of the individuals on the ship.

She stopped by each person before finally reaching him, “Hey, Garrus,” Garrus turned to her, “How is it going, Shepard.”

“You know, plotting courses, fighting fires, trying to get the other women on the ship to stop drooling over you and do work.”

“They can’t help it, I mean have you seen me.” Garrus made a sweeping motion with both hands down his sides.

Shepard chuckled, “Oh boy, I should not have said anything. Your head is getting bigger as we speak.”

“Oh, come on Shepard, you know you like it. 300lbs of sexy turian right here. Maybe if you’re lucky you can join me in the Mako.”

Shepard doubled over with laughter. She finally straightened, wiping the tears from her eyes, “Okay, okay. You got me Garrus. I’m so into you. Let’s just jump into the Mako and get this over with.”

Garrus couldn’t control the sound released by his subharmonics. He peeked over and caught Wrex smirking at him. Shepard didn’t seem to hear or notice his reaction.

“Anyway, I’ll talk at you later Garrus. We are heading to the Citadel to replenish and recover.”

Garrus glanced back over at Wrex, who leaned against the wall looking smug. Damn it.

Shepard had finished her work for the day and was sitting with Tali on her couch, drinking and swapping stories. What had been nights here and there, turned into frequent nights where their bond grew, and they found a confidant in one another.

“You know Tali. You never mentioned if you had someone back home.”

Tali rubbed her hands together, “I don’t really have anyone. I mean there were a couple I was interested in, but nothing that was that serious.”

“And now…”

Tali stared at her hands, “No one. I went on my pilgrimage and then ran into Fist, and now I’m trying to save the universe with some wild woman.”

Shepard knew she was smirking behind her mask, “Yeah, yeah.” Shepard nudged her.

Tali turned her attention to Shepard, “What about you? I’ve seen Kaidan…”

Shepard threw her head back on a groan, “Nothing there, Tali. He is a nice guy and all, but I don’t feel anything. No sparks, no fire, no… nothing.”

Tali tilted her head. “Well, he clearly wants you.” She chuckled as Shepard groaned again.

“What about Garrus?”

Shepard raised a brow as she turned her head towards Tali, “What?”

“You two are always joking and touching one another. You two haven’t…”

“Haven’t what?”

“You know.”

“I do not know what you are talking about.”

Tali’s brows furrowed, “You know exactly.”

Shepard feigned confusion, “I do not!”

“Sex! There I said it.”

Shepard released the laugh she had been holding, “I hate you so much, Shepard.”

Shepard patted her friend's leg, “No you don’t, and you know it.”

Tali shook her head, “Whatever. Answer the question.”

Shepard regained her composure, “No, Tali. Nothing like that. We are just really good friends.”

“Have you thought about sex with him?”

Tali watched as her friend’s eyes widened slightly at the question, “I… uh…”

“Oh, my! Is the famous Shepard too stunned for words?”

Shepard lightly shoved Tali. Her attention focused back on the ceiling, “Yeah.” She released a sigh. “I have. Does that make me a bad friend?”

This time Tali sat stunned. Shepard glanced at her, poking her leg to get her attention. “What? Oh, no I don’t think it makes you a bad friend. It happens. Besides you have said, you haven’t been with anyone in a while.”

“Have you ever thought about a friend like that?”

“Yeah. It happens. Doesn’t mean you are a bad friend. You are the bad friend, or well bad person if you force the person or something.”

“Force Garrus? I’m not sure that is possible.”

Tali elbowed her, “Impossible because maybe he would want to. What is it you humans say… Can’t force a willing participant.”

Shepard covered her eyes with her hand as she laughed, “Garrus… a willing participant? With a human? We are talking about the same Garrus right?”

“Yes…”

Shepard turned her upper body towards Tali, “Tali, Garrus prefers his kind and only his kind. I’m cool with that. People can choose whoever they want.”

“I know he does. I just…”

Shepard cocked her head, “Just what?”

Tali had been watching her friends, and something was there. Stubborn fools. Tali waved her hands, “Nothing. No big deal. So, what do you plan on doing in the Citadel?”

Shepard wiggled her eyebrows, “Maybe find a turian to take home.” The room filled with laughter once more.

The Normandy had finally reached the Citadel and docked, “Okay everyone, take some leave. Enjoy and be careful. If I have to drag anyone back here for fighting… well, you better win the fight, or you’ll be in more trouble. Wrex, try not to destroy the Citadel.”

“No promises, Shepard.”

Shepard shook her head, “Dismissed, everyone.” She stepped away from the crew, wearing a casual outfit, complete with hidden weapons. Weapons are a girl’s best friend after all. Shepard giggled at herself.

“Something funny, Shepard.” Garrus appeared behind her.

She didn’t have an alien fetish, but she had to admit the black and silver outfit he wore made him look good. Too good. Garrus saw her appreciative glance, and it made his heart speed up.

“Just something I was thinking is all.”

The two walked side by side out of the docking bay doors. “So, where are you heading?” Garrus queried.

“I was thinking of hitting the club up, maybe do some dancing, get into some trouble."

“Ohhh trouble. Wait, with you I’m never sure if it’s good trouble or bad trouble.”

“Hopefully, it is good. Need to blow off some steam. If you know what I mean.” Shepard bumped him with her hip.

Garrus had caught the underlying suggestion, but instead of feeling amusement to her response, he was disappointed. “I see. That sounds like fun. But, you are going to a club. I thought you couldn’t dance?”

A sly smile graced her face, “Yeah, I do. Not often, so most think I don’t know how, but on the contrary.” She winked at him and did a small spin. “I just so happen to be heading that way too.”

“Oh, plan on releasing some stress there too, big guy?”

“Maybe. Depends on how the night goes.” Garrus saw something flicker in her eyes, but it was too fast for him to determine what it was.

“Well, good luck with that. She’ll be a lucky turian tonight.” Garrus raised a brow plate, “Indeed.”

Shepard took a seat at an empty booth, scanning the crowd. Making a note of her crew and if there was anyone who was worth taking back to her room. Her eyes would shift quickly from the club to Garrus and back again; watching as he mingled with a female turian. She was interested in him, touching his arm and mandible. Shepard felt anger bubbling up inside herself. Something she would have to think about later as an all too familiar figure was heading towards her.

Although Garrus was socializing, he never lost sight of where Shepard was or what she was doing. She was currently sipping a drink and glancing around the room, her eyes never settling too long on one person. Like him, she was looking to spend the evening with someone. Can’t expect her to stay cooped up in the ship with no relief. And that…. that didn’t make him feel any better.

Garrus noticed an immediate shift in Shepard's demeanor. He followed her line of sight to a man heading for her table. The man had a malicious smirk on his face, while her face was not of interest, but of annoyance. Did she know him? The man slid into the booth with her. He reached out to touch her arm, and she smacked it away. Garrus was torn between intervening or letting her handle it, while also trying to keep his attention on the female turian in front of him.

The man’s hand reached out once more, but to touch her face and she used her biotics to fling it away. A low rumble vibrated through Garrus’ chest, which the female misinterpreted and increased her ministrations upon him. The argument was cut short, and Shepard stormed out of the club, with the strange man hot on her heels. Garrus excused himself and followed the two out the doors. He stopped for a moment to overhear what the man was saying.

“I suggest you do what I am asking you to do, Shepard. Or else. And you know you don’t want the or else.”

Garrus moved swiftly behind the man, growling loudly, freezing the man in place. “Or else what, human.”

The man spun around and was slacked jawed at the massive, snarling turian towering over him. He turned back to Shepard, “Your choice.” And with that, he sprinted out of the hallway. Shepard slumped against the wall once the man was out of sight.

Garrus approached her and put his hands on her shoulders. “Hey, you okay?” The growling had stopped, and a look of concern replaced the anger that was once there.

“Yeah. Just a bit shaken up is all. Was not someone I expected to see.” Shepard shook her head, definitely not someone she expected ever to see again.

“Do you want to talk about it? Not here obviously.”

Shepard sighed and moved away from his hold and the wall. “It’s okay. I didn’t mean to disturb your date. I’m sure she misses you.”

Garrus raised a brow plate, “It isn’t that serious.”

“I’m fine. At least one of us should get lucky.” Shepard’s attempt at humor fell flat. “Fine. We can talk back at my place.”

“Your place?”

Shepard glanced back, “Yeah. We Spectres get some cool privileges.”

They entered the building and found the apartment. Each Spectre had a particular room throughout the Citadel. Shepard had only been in hers a couple of times. The size of it was more than she could have afforded on an Alliance salary. While it wasn’t over furnished or gaudy, the items in the room were obviously expensive. Most of the items he didn’t see as matching Shepard’s taste, but the items were still appealing, and the overall design spoke of a fusion of asari and turian.

“Wow… what a perk.”

“Yeah, just a bit. Make yourself comfy. I think I have some dextro booze in the fridge.”

Garrus face changed from amazement to surprise, “You got dextro stuff?”

Shepard winked at him “Yeah, never know who I’ll have for company. Maybe get a sexy, 300lb turian in here one day.”

Garrus turned towards her, “Well, Shepard…”

“I said sexy!” She jabbed as she went into her room to change.

The thought of another turian coming to her place for… activities riled him up. Making him want to punch this imaginary turian in the face… repeatedly… with a chair.

Shepard emerged from the room in a different outfit. Something humans called pajamas. Garrus did an appraisal when she wasn’t looking. The tank top fit her nicely, showing her small waist and her collarbone. She wasn’t overly thin and was taller than the other women on the ship. Thicker thighs and an ass that fit nicely into the pants she was wearing. Whoa… whoa.

Garrus grabbed the dextro liquor and downed a bit of it. He pulled the bottle away to read the label, “Wow, Shepard. You got the good kind.”

Shepard glanced at him and the bottle, “Good stuff? I have no idea. I just bought what the turian chick said I should get.”

“Either way, good choice. This stuff is excellent. The downside is that, because it tastes so great, you don’t realize how much you drink and end up hammered.”

Shepard perked up at this, “Oh… a drunk Garrus. The evil things that come to mind.”

Garrus chuckled as she rubbed her hands together, “It takes a bit for me to get drunk, so the evil genius can calm down.”

Shepard snapped her fingers, “Damn. My hopes and dreams dashed.” She sat down on the plush and quite large sofa. “Come on over and listen to my sob story.” Garrus sat down next to her when suddenly music came through the speakers in the room.

“Nice.”

“Yeah. It has a good view, and you can hear the music in each room.”

Garrus looked out the big window in front of them. She wasn’t wrong; the view was fantastic. The view wasn’t obstructed by other buildings or racing transit cars. It was more open, and he was sure when it was morning, the light would fill the room.

Shepard stared at her hands as she tried to figure out what she wanted to say. How could she tell someone she trusted that she used to be part of some anti-alien gang? The fear of him looking at her in disgust and leaving was painful.

She exhaled loudly, “The man you met was Finch. He is part of the tenth street reds from Earth.” Garrus said nothing as she continued. “The gang is an anti-alien group, and he was asking me to get a buddy of his released. A buddy that messed with some drugs meant for turians.” She felt Garrus stiffen next to her. She wanted to stop, but Garrus squeezed her knee, urging her to continue.

“I told him I wasn’t going to use my Spectre authority to get his buddy out. Especially after doing something so heinous.” Garrus relaxed a bit after her confession. “I left the area, and he started threatening me about telling other people about my background.” Garrus turned his head, an unspoken question upon his face. Shepard was getting antsier and jumped off the couch to pace back and forth.

“I was in their gang. I was part of their anti-alien gang.” She stopped in front of Garrus, waiting for him to say something. But he said nothing and the expression on his face was unreadable. This is what she feared. He was going to leave and tell everyone Tali, Wrex, and Liara. They would follow in his steps and leave. He was going to tell her she was disgusting for her behavior and he lost all respect for her. Instead, she watched the big turian stand up from the couch and close the gap between them.

Garrus grabbed her chin and pulled her face up to his, “Shepard,” his one talon rubbed along her bottom lip, “I don’t care that you were part of their gang. I wish you told me about this before, but I’m more upset he was threating you and putting you in that type of situation.” Garrus heard her heartbeat speed up and noticed the blood rush up her neck and ears. He released her chin and sat back down.

“Come sit back down and tell me the story.”

Shepard sat down next to him, “Well, I joined because it was the only option I had at the time. I left the orphanage and was at risk of being some slave.”

“Why did you leave the orphanage?”

“I think that is a story for another time.” Garrus could see the strain in her smile. Clearly, that story was more difficult for her, so he let it drop.”

When Shepard realized he wasn’t going to push the subject, she continued, “Anyway. I almost did become a slave, and it was the reason I joined the gang. I was on my own and was taking the shortcut to my little hideaway when I ran into a batarian. He realized I was a kid and tried to attack me, but someone from the tenth street reds saved me.” She saw Garrus clench and unclench his fist, and she smiled to herself.

Garrus wanted to wring the neck of that batarian. Touching his Shepard with his dirty hands. Garrus moved his arm behind Shepard, laying it across the top of the couch.

“He offered to let me join and so I did. I wasn’t anti-alien, even after the attack. I had to keep up the appearance though. I would get the word out here and there to aliens on Earth about something that the gang planned on doing, but I couldn’t do it often. When I was old enough, I left for the military and never looked back. I didn’t think he would find me here, in the Citadel of all places. I never gave my real name when I was in the gang, but guess they aren’t that dumb and can match faces.” Shepard leaned her head back, using Garrus’ arm as a pillow. “You are warm. It feels nice.” “I do what I can.” Garrus joked.

The two continued to talk, while Garrus drank more. “God. The man was so embarrassed. Not like I meant to walk in on him. Should have locked the damn door. Wasn’t that impressive anyway. Told him as much when he tried to accuse me of being some peeping tom.”

Garrus couldn’t stop laughing. He was more relaxed after his… what drink was he on?

He stood up to head to the kitchen, but started wobbling. The liquor finally caught up with him. “Oh Spirits.”

Shepard chuckled, “Liquor just hit?”

“Yeah. But it was good… Initially.” He tried to walk but had to grab the couch before he fell.

Shepard stood, “Ok big guy let’s get you to bed.”

“Oh Shepard, are you offering? Couldn’t resist this sexy turian could you.”

Shepard chuckled at his antics. The liquor made him much more relaxed than she thought. It was cute. “Nope. I can’t resist any longer. You caught me.”

Garrus glanced down at her, “I knew it. Not to brag, but I’m quite impressive.”

“That is bragging, Garrus.”

“It isn’t bragging if it’s the truth.”

Shepard laughed again, “We can investigate that another time.”

“Promises, promises, Shepard.”

They finally entered the room. “The bed is big too. Things that come to mind.” Garrus purred. He knew what he was saying, but didn’t care.

“It is so cute when you purr.”

Garrus’ eyes widened in shock, “I do not purr, madam.”

“Right. Of course, you don’t. Too big and bad of a turian.”

“Exactly.”

She sat him on the bed and turned away to switch the light off, “Did you need help-.” She turned back as he was removing the top portion of his outfit. “Uh, I’ll take that as a no.”

Garrus lifted his head, “I’m sorry did you want to undress me, Shepard. Cause you can always help with the lower half.” He heard her heartbeat speed up and could see the blush creeping up her neck. He wasn’t trying to embarrass her or make her uncomfortable.

She laughed nervously, “No, Garrus. I’m good. I’ll leave you to sleep this off.” He tried to stand, but began to wobble, and Shepard rushed to help him before he fell into a wall. Instead, he grabbed her waist, and the two tumbled upon the bed. Shepard was now straddling him and Garrus… was enjoying it.

“Can you stay with me?” Garrus couldn’t stop himself in time. His shut-up filter was apparently inoperable due to the alcohol. “I promise no funny business, just want some company.”

Shepard searched his face. She trusted him and knew he would never press himself on her, but.... “Okay, Garrus. Let me go turn everything off.”

Garrus let her go, and she left him lying in bed. What was I thinking? What he had said played in his mind as he pulled himself further onto the bed. He set everything up so he could lay on his back and avoid putting so much pressure on his fringe.

Shepard entered the room and shut the lights off before finally getting into bed with him. She felt nervous being in the situation. But this was Garrus. He wasn’t interested in humans. I ruined his night with a hot date, and he is feeling a bit lonely. He prefers turians, not humans. Shepard began to relax. It was true. Garrus had said on multiple occasions he had no attraction or want for the humans or asari or any other species. He liked turians.

She felt him roll over and could feel him staring at her, “I know I’m gorgeous and all, but come on.”

Garrus chuckled, “Yeah, yeah. I just wanted to thank you for staying with me. I was feeling a little… you know.”

Shepard smiled, “I know. Me too. Sorry for ruining your date.” Shepard rolled over to her side to stare out the window.

Garrus laid his arm across her waist and pulled her to him. He felt her stiffen at first, almost regretting the action, but she quickly settled into him. Garrus moved his head a bit closer to her, “Don’t beat yourself up about it, Shepard. She wasn’t anything special, and I didn’t notice it at first, but she was marked.”

“Marked?”

Garrus breathed in her scent, “Yeah. Marked. When turians bond there is a mark left between the two, kind of like wedding rings between humans. It shows others that they are bonded with another; married. I didn’t smell the other turian, and I didn’t notice the mark until I was leaving. She had kept it covered until I told her I had to go and she shifted just enough for me to see it.”

“Ouch. Sorry. That could have ended badly later.”

“You’re telling me. It angers me how others would do something like that. You are mated with someone and then turn around and try to roll around in the… what is it you humans say… hay, with a different individual.”

“Yeah. I had that happen a few times.”

Garrus stiffened behind her, “You went after married people?”

Shepard could hear the alarm in his voice, “No. I had married people hitting on me. Some tried to hide it by taking off their rings, but I knew better.” Garrus relaxed once more.

“What about you? Is it a common occurrence for turians?”

Garrus paused to think, “I wouldn’t say common, but it does happen. I’ve had a few try it with me, but I either knew they were marked or found out later.”

Shepard winced, “How much later?”

“Well one of them, we were in the room, and she had preferred the lights off, but I felt the mark later before we had gotten busy.”

“What did you do?”

“I kind of flipped out. I didn’t hurt her or anything, but told her to stay the hell away from me, and if I saw her again, her mate and I would be having a chat.”

Shepard chuckled, “That would have been interesting to see. You half-naked in the middle of shenanigans telling her off.”

Garrus sighed, “Yeah I was completely naked… and aroused.”

He heard her gasp at the confession, “Well, then. Quite a feat Garrus.”

He chuckled, “Yeah, she wasn’t too happy about it, especially when I left her high and dry.”

Shepard chuckled again. “You have some interesting stories, buddy.”

“Yeah and unfortunately I have quite a few more in that area.”

Shepard awoke to Garrus’ arm still around her. She could feel him breathing against her neck. She was enjoying laying in his arms; safe and warm. She didn’t want to move, but she knew she had some unfinished business to handle.

“I can hear your wheels spinning from here, Shepard.”

She jumped a bit at his words, but he held her in place. “Sorry. I was thinking about getting ready to talk to the turian guard about Finch.”

Shepard felt Garrus stretch behind her, “Yeah guess we should do that.”

Garrus released her and rolled into a sitting position. Shepard pushed herself off the bed and stretched. She felt good, more rested than usual.

She turned to see Garrus staring at her, “Did you want to shower first?”

“No, you can go. Your place and all. Give me a few to find my feet… oh hey, there they are.”

Shepard smiled, “Okay. I won’t be long.”

Garrus stretched again, “Take your time.” Shepard gazed at his figure once more before heading into the bathroom.

Garrus could hear her humming in the shower. Her scent began to permeate from the bathroom, filling the air around him. He reached to rub his eye and realized her scent was also all over his body. He suddenly felt disappointed that he was going to wash it off later. Shepard exited the shower, freshly clean, with her civvies on.

"Your turn, big guy. The turian stuff is in the cabinet on the left.” She saw him raise a brow plate at her, “The place was stocked with it when I got it. So, I left it there.” Garrus’ face relaxed as he proceeded into the bathroom.

After they had freshened up, the two headed to see the turian guard, running into Joker along the way.

“Hey, Commander. You look spiffy this morning. Where did you go last night?”

Shepard gave a quick glance at Garrus, “Back to my apartment. Got tired of the club.”

“Wow, you have an apartment? Can I use it? Did Garrus join you and did you videotape it?”

Shepard smiled, “Sorry, Joker a lady never kisses and tells.”

“You aren’t a lady, Commander.” Joker teased.

“Don’t be jealous just because you didn’t get any.”

Joker’s eyes widened, “So you two did. I’m so telling everyone.”

Shepard dropped her head into her hand, “No, Joker. Nothing happened. Just spent the night hanging out. Had someone threatening me last night, which killed the mood, so I went back to the apartment and Garrus joined to make sure the guy and his friends didn’t come back.”

Joker’s eyes moved between the two. Garrus was hard to read, but he didn’t think the two were lying. “Did you need anything?”

Shepard smiled at her pilot, “No. We are good. No big deal.”

“Okay, well you let me know, and I’ll turn the Normandy on this place.”

Garrus and Shepard laughed, “Thanks, Joker.”

“Anytime!” He waved as he hobbled away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter. We are moving closer to the end of ME1! I know it has been a slow burn, but I promise, in ME2 there will some hotness going on.


	5. Only One Urdnot Wrex

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Love-sick puppies. Jealousy. Mind Meld. What just happened? Oh, Wrex.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing. All to Bioware/EA.

The crew was finally back on the Normandy and traveling to another system. Garrus propped himself against Joker’s chair, “So, has the Commander told Kaidan off yet?”

Garrus shrugged, “I don’t think so. He is still following her around.”

Joker groaned, “I swear if she doesn’t I’m going to. At least Liara got the hint.”

Garrus brow plates rose in surprise, “What?”

“Oh yeah. She had a thing for the Commander too. Wanted to do a lot more than embrace eternity. But she approached Shepard, and they talked it out. Liara took it okay, but she has kept a little more distance from the Commander. Bit too raw right now.”

He hadn’t realized Liara was trying to sleep with Shepard too. It still didn’t make him feel any better that a female wanted her.

“Besides, I couldn’t handle two love-sick puppies on my ship. Hearing and watching Kaidan fall all over himself to be with the Commander is enough for me.”

Garrus snorted, “You noticed too, huh?”

“How can you not? Every time she walks by or is in the same room he gets this look on his face. I’m waiting for him just to throw himself at her feet.” Joker grumbled.

“I think the Commander is afraid of letting him down, even if she should.”

“Wait, we are talking about the same Commander, right? The Commander who shrugs off a charging krogan, is afraid of telling him she isn’t interested? Really?”

Garrus read the disbelief on Joker’s face, “She is afraid he will take it the wrong way or make matters worse.”

“So, then just sleep with him. Maybe that will stop it or get him under control or something.”

A deep rumble traveled through Garrus’ chest, “She won’t do that either. At least I don’t think so.”

Joker peeked up at Garrus and saw a look of loathing cross his face, “Well, then you two should just get it on and record it… ya know to show him… and me… and maybe everyone else.”

“If you weren’t so brittle, I’d punch you.”

“Come on you don’t want to hurt the Commander’s favorite pilot.”

“Hurt whose favorite pilot?”

The two winced as Shepard announced herself. “Garrus threatened to hit me, but I know how upset you would be if he hurt me. I am your favorite pilot after all.”

“Well, you are my pilot, but I see and hear nothing. Besides, we have an excellent medical doc on board.”

Shepard clapped Garrus on the shoulder, “Talk to you later, Joker.”

“Wait! Commander! You know he is a turian, right? Shepard!” Joker’s voice came through the speakers, “I hate you, Commander.” Shepard held her stomach as she shook with laughter.

The crew had landed on Zhu’s Hope, but the extent of the problems the colony was facing was much more considerable than anyone realized. Garrus and Wrex stood waiting for her order.

“Okay, we have to avoid killing the civilians.”

“Why? Why not just shoot them? We can get through this faster if we do. It’s only a few civilians.” Wrex grumbled.

Shepard pinned Wrex with a stare that Garrus had not seen before and then grabbed him by his armor, “They might just be a few civilians, but we are not going to kill them. They aren’t trash to be thrown away as Exo-Geni has done to them. Do you understand me, Wrex?”

Wrex was taken aback; she never reacted to him like this before. “Fine. Whatever you say, Shepard.”

Shepard released him, “Good. Besides when do we ever go the easy route? I didn’t know the mighty krogan was so frail.”

Garrus forced himself to cough to hide his amusement. Wrex glared at her, “You got a quad human.”

“Jealous?” This time both Wrex and Garrus let out a laugh. “Alright here is what we are going to do.”

The Thorian was not what they had expected, and it took a lot to bring it down. After everyone had cleaned up, they headed to the debrief room. After discussing the Thorian, the green asari, and Exogeni, Liara stood, “Shepard, we can meld minds again. I may be able to get a clearer understanding of the visions.”

Shepard pinched the bridge of her nose, “No offense, Liara, but this whole embracing eternity thing is awful. Is this what is supposed to happen when your species do this, because if so I’ll pass.” Garrus let out a small chuckle, and Shepard glanced over at him, “Have something to add to this, big guy? Embraced eternity a few times?”

Garrus blushed under his armor, “Uh no, but when I do you’ll be the first to know.”

Shepard chuckled, “Please do. Your sex life is on the list of the things I need to keep track of.”

Everyone began laughing, except for Kaidan who turned to scowl at him. Garrus noticed it and flashed a knowing smirk. After the melding, Liara headed to her room behind the med-bay.

Shepard worried about her after each melding of the minds. It wasn’t enjoyable and took a lot out of both, but Liara seemed especially drained by it. The two were slowly building their friendship back up after Shepard turned her down. She had taken it better than Shepard thought she would, but it was evident she still hurt. Shepard continued checking on her as she did the rest of the crew, but she was giving her the time to handle her feelings and become friends once more.

Shepard finished what she could and sat in the darkness of her room. The only light was coming from the cosmos. Shepard heard the doors swish open and saw Tali’s figure standing in the opening. Tali moved further in and caught the outline of Shepard in the darkness.

“Hey, Tali.”

She accepted the invitation and moved carefully over to the couch to join her, mimicking her position.

It was a while before either of them spoke. “How are you feeling?”

Shepard could hear the worry in her friend’s voice. “I'm all right, Tali. Just drained.”

“I’ve never done anything like that, so I can only imagine how it feels.”

Shepard’s brows drew together as she pieced together the right words, “The information is sporadic and terrifying. The images show… death and destruction. Bodies that have been burned in place, like weird statutes. Jaws were opening with sharp teeth and some substance dripping from them.” Shepard exhaled as she tried to push the memory aside, “That is just what I can remember right now. It doesn’t make much sense. It all comes so fast. It is just hammering at you, over and over. It doesn’t lessen over time or when there is more than one mind involved.”

Tali’s eyes widened in shock, “I’m sorry, Shepard. I had no idea.”

“It’s fine. I’m doing okay with it.”

Tali gripped her friend’s hand, “If you ever want to talk about it or yell, or whatever… You can come to me.”

Shepard squeezed it. “Thank you, Tali.”

After a brief pause, Tali turned her upper body towards Shepard, “I was talking to Joker the other day.”

She chuckled at Shepard’s exaggerated groan, “I can only imagine.”

“He told me an interesting story.”

“Is this about the vampires and werewolves again?”

Tali pushed Shepard, “Hey! I didn’t know those vids were from old Earth movies!”

“What story then?” Shepard asked through her laughter.

“He ran into you and Garrus the morning after the club.” 

Shepard turned her head towards Tali, “Okay…” 

“And you weren’t going to tell me that you two got together? I had to hear it from Joker!” 

Shepard shook her head, “Got you again, Tali. We didn’t get together.” 

“I knew it! I’m going to kill him.” 

The corner of Shepard’s mouth lifted slightly, “At least in that sense.”

Tali’s ears perked up, “What?” 

“We slept together, just didn’t… you know.” 

Tali smirked, “I do not know.” 

A sly grin spread across Shepard’s face as she turned her upper body towards Tali, “We didn’t get together. We didn’t have sex. We didn’t get naked, and he didn’t put his-.” 

Tali shoved Shepard again, “You are so mean!” Tali crossed her arms, trying to appear upset, but failing at it.

“Aw, Tali don’t say that.” Shepard pouted. 

“No. No, you don’t.” 

“But...” Shepard tried touching her friend’s arms. 

“No, Shepard.” 

Shepard attempted to hug her, “Tali.” 

“No. I’m mad at you.” 

“But Tali!” Shepard lunged at her friend, rolling off the couch with her. The doors opened, and Garrus discovered the two on the floor. 

“Uh… I’m just going to…” He backed out of the door as his mind struggled to comprehend what he had walked into.

Tali and Shepard looked from the door to one another before laughter overtook them. It was a few minutes before the two could control themselves. Eventually, Shepard helped Tali up, and the two sat back down on the couch. 

“I think we may have scandalized Garrus a bit,” Shepard commented. 

“Possibly. Good luck explaining that.” Tali straightened her suit out, “But back to the subject. What happened?”

Shepard relayed the events of the club and the arrival at her apartment. 

“You have an apartment?” 

“Yeah. Spectres get a spot somewhere on the Citadel.” 

“Wow. Nice perk. So, then what?” 

“Well, we talked, and I escorted him to the room after the alcohol hit him. He is quite hilarious when he is drunk, by the way.” 

“How so?” 

“He purrs for one thing.” 

“He what?” 

Shepard brought up a video of an Earth tiger and played the sound for her. “Something like that.” 

“That is cool. But how did you end up in bed together?”

Shepard closed her omni-tool. “He asked me if I would stay with him because he was feeling lonely.” 

“Adorable.” 

“It was. I can understand though. I ruined his night with a turian female.” 

“Was it awkward? Did you cuddle or lay like stiff boards next to one another?” 

“Surprisingly, it was… normal. It was awkward at first, but we ended up spooning together.” 

“Just cuddling?” Shepard nodded.

“Did you try anything? Did he? Did you want to?” 

“We just cuddled, talked, and fell asleep.” 

“You didn’t answer the last question.” 

Shepard turned her eyes back to the void, “I… I did.” 

Tali gave a slight nudge, “So, why didn’t you?” 

“I didn’t want to ruin anything. I don’t want to ruin our friendship. He means a lot to me. I also don’t know what he wants either. He isn’t always the easiest to read.”

“What are you going to do about all of it though? Are you ever going to talk to him and tell him how you feel? What do you feel?” 

“I…” Shepard paused to collect her thoughts, “I don’t know, honestly. I wouldn’t mind taking him to bed, but after that… I don’t know.” 

Tali patted her friend's shoulder, and the two stared back up at the void.

Garrus returned to the cargo area and sat against the Mako. Wrex observed him from the other side. It was apparent the turian’s mind was elsewhere, but on what he wasn’t sure. Garrus stared at a spot on the floor, eyes never wavering as the wheels in his mind spun. What did I see? They had clothes on. His eyes widened slightly as he thought about that. They did, didn’t they? Spirits, what if I… The lights were off… They never said… But I never asked. I assumed… Garrus thought back to the Consort. She never said what happened. But then again, she never said what didn’t happen.

Wrex found it weird that Garrus would sit and stare off into space. Not something he had ever seen the guy do before. Usually, he was focused on the Mako or his weapons or talking to Shepard. Now he sat motionless, gazing at the floor. Wrex moved across the room and sat next to him. Garrus didn’t even acknowledge his presence. Wrex rolled his eyes and shoved him, almost toppling him.

“What? Wrex?” 

Wrex chuckled at the sight and surprise on his face, “What’s going on?” 

Garrus straightened himself, “Nothing. I was just uh… thinking.” 

“Obviously.” Wrex snorted. “What about? Never seen you like this.” 

Garrus tilted his head back and leaned against the open door of the Mako. “I caught Shepard… on the floor in her room.” 

Wrex thought about the statement, confused for a moment. But then the implication hit him. “Oh… Kaidan?”

Garrus shook his head, “No. Tali.” 

“What?” Wrex roared, causing the others in the room to turn in their direction. 

Garrus snapped his head towards the krogan, “Really, Wrex? I don’t think the bridge heard you.” 

Wrex waved him off, “Whatever. So, what happened? Were they in the middle of things? Details, Garrus.” 

Garrus glanced around the room, waiting for everyone to turn their attention back to other things.“No, I don’t think so.” 

Wrex narrowed his eyes, “What do you mean, ‘I don’t think so.’ Either they were or weren’t.” 

Garrus opened his mouth and then closed it. He still wasn’t sure what he had seen. “They were on the floor together, but it was dark. I think they were clothed. I mean Tali had her helmet on, and I think Shepard had pants on. I couldn’t see that much in the short moment I was there.” 

“You aren’t that observant for a turian.”

“Hey. It was dark, and I was….” 

“Excited? Curious? Wanted to join?” 

Garrus punched him, “No. I was distracted. I saw it and backed out of the room. I didn’t stick around to interrogate them.” 

The two sat quietly for a moment. Wrex finally broke the silence, “I don’t think they were doing what you think.” 

“Is this due to you being a nosey krogan or is there a better explanation?”

Wrex grunted, “Shepard isn’t interested in women.” 

“How do you know?” 

Wrex turned his head towards Garrus, “I just know. I’ve never seen Shepard show interest in women. Men, yeah. Women no.” 

“What other reason is there to explain those two wrapped around one another on the floor?” 

Wrex shrugged his large shoulders, “Don’t know. But I think you are wrong.”

Garrus paused for a moment, “What men has she shown interest in?”

Wrex pushed himself off the floor, “You sure you want to know?” 

Garrus moved his eyes up to the krogan’s, but said nothing. “Yeah. Thought so. Maybe you should talk to Shepard before your mind flies out of your thick head.”

Garrus watched Wrex return to his spot in the cargo area. His mind was spinning faster after the conversation. What men had she shown interest in? Thick head? What happened with the Consort? What occurred in the room? What is going on with Kaidan? Why were the lights off? Why were they on the ground?! Garrus ran a palm down his face as the question swirled in his brain.

The Normandy headed to Virmire at the behest of the Council. However, Virmire was harder than anyone had expected. Geth were everywhere, including the more fearsome ones, like the armature. Shepard and her crew were able to blow through the geth defense and meet with the salarian that had called for aid, Captain Kirrahe.

“Where are the reinforcements?” 

Shepard did a quick scan of her team, “We are the reinforcements.” 

“I asked for a fleet!” 

The two continued to discuss the situation and what to do next. However, once word got out about the cure for the genophage, the matter had taken a turn for the worse. Wrex was putting the mission in jeopardy because he wanted the cure for his people instead of destroying it.

Shepard watched as he paced back and forth, “This isn’t right, Shepard. If there’s a cure for the genophage, we can’t destroy it.” 

“I understand you’re upset. But we both know Saren’s the enemy here. He’s the one you should be angry with.” 

Wrex stopped his pacing and began to approach Shepard slowly, “Really? Saren created a cure for my people. You want to destroy it. Help me out here, Shepard. The lines between friend and foe are getting blurry from where I stand.”

Shepard could hear the anger, but also the hurt coming from Wrex. She hated the situation they had been put in. She had to tell her friend to destroy probably the only cure for his people. She could ignore the fury, but she couldn’t ignore the hurt and confusion in his eyes. “This isn’t a cure; it’s a weapon. And if Saren is allowed to use it, you won’t be around to reap the benefits. None of us will.”

Shepard didn’t want to hurt her friend any more than she had to, but this wasn’t a cure. 

“That’s a chance we should be willing to take. This is the fate of my entire people we’re talking about.” His next set of words shot straight to her heart, “I’ve been loyal to you so far. Hell, you did more for me than my family ever did. But if I’m going to keep following you, I need to know we’re doing it for the right reasons. I need to know my trust isn’t misguided, Shepard.”

Wrex reached for his weapon; the two stood staring down the barrel of one another’s gun. Garrus watched from afar. He wanted to beat Wrex with his rifle for his behavior, but he knew she could handle him. Out of everyone, Shepard could handle him. 

“Wrex, these krogan are not your people. They’re slaves of Saren. Tools. Is that what you want for them? To be mindless slaves, instead of resembling the krogan standing in front of me?”

Shepard dropped her weapon and straightened once more. She knew he wouldn’t shoot her. She was right about his people, even though it hurt her to have to do what they were doing. 

“No. We were tools for the Council once. To thank us for wiping out the Rachni, they neutered us all. I doubt Saren will be as generous.” She saw the resignation cross the great krogan’s face and it hurt her more.

“All right, Shepard. You’ve made your point. I don’t like this, but I trust you enough to follow your lead. Just one thing. When we find Saren, I want his head.” 

Shepard smiled, “Of course, I’ll even get it stuffed for you.” 

Wrex snorted, “Yeah. A stuffed Saren head would look nice sitting next to me.” 

Shepard slapped her friend’s shoulder, “Come on and let’s show him what a real krogan can do.” 

Wrex smirked at her, “By the way, they can try to resemble me, but there is only one Urdnot Wrex.” 

Shepard’s face brightened, “And I’m glad to have him with me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think!


	6. What Did You Hear?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saren, part turian, mostly machine. Screw the Council. Not interested. Go, Anderson! Well, that just happened. (I am not a fan of summaries.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing. Bioware/EA owns all. Hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!

Shepard, Wrex, and Garrus stood in front of another Prothean device. She knew what was going to happen when she touched the machine, but she couldn’t avoid it. Garrus gripped her shoulder, and she squeezed him before continuing forward. Once again images flashed through her mind; confusion, fear, pain, warnings. Shepard dropped to her knees and struggled to get her bearings. The battle to reach the area had been draining on the team, but adding in the device caused her to take a bit longer than usual to get her wits about her.

Garrus realized her strain and rushed to her side, “Shepard?” 

She released a shaky chuckle, “Shit doesn’t get any less painful.” She held a hand to her head, catching Wrex staring at her in concern, “I’m fine, guys. Still didn’t make much sense to me. Let’s keep going moving.”

But the team didn’t make it far. A large, red, holo appeared as they were leaving; Sovereign. Shepard was able to interact with the creature as Garrus and Wrex watched. 

“Your words are as empty as your future. I am the vanguard of your destruction. This exchange is over.” Sovereign closed off communications, and the windows were blasted to pieces.

Joker was the next voice the group heard, “Commander, we got trouble!” 

“That’s what usually happens.” 

“I don’t know what you did, but that ship just pulled a turn that would shear an alliance ship in half.” 

“Shit.” 

They made it through to help Ashley with the bomb, but were disrupted by a distress call from Kaidan.

“We are being overwhelmed here, Commander.” 

Shepard instructed Ashley to stay with the bomb as she rushed to go help Kaidan and Captain Kirrahe’s team. As she bounded up the stairs and reached the walkway, the group witnessed a geth ship heading towards Ashley.

Ashley came back on speaker. “It’s already here. There’s geth pouring out all over the bomb site.” 

“Can you hold them off?” 

“There’s too many. I don’t think we can survive until you get here. I’m activating the bomb.” 

“What the hell are you doing, Williams?” 

“I’m just making sure this bomb goes off. No matter what.”

There was a short pause, “It’s done, Commander. Go get Alenko and get the hell out of here.” 

Kaiden came back on comms, and the two argued over who Shepard should save. Garrus saw her struggle with the decision, a decision he had hoped she would never have to make. 

“Alenko, radio Joker and tell him to meet us at the AA tower.” 

“Yes, Commander, I…” 

“It’s the right choice, Alenko and you know it.”

“I’m sorry Ashley, I had to make a choice.” 

“I understand, Commander. I don’t regret a thing. I get to see my team again. Tell my parents…” 

Shepard gripped the railing till her hands hurt, “I know Ash. I will.” 

“Thanks, Commander. Williams out.” 

She knew she couldn’t stand there and morn for Ashley. “Let’s go.” 

Garrus wanted to grab her and hold her. Something to make the hurt on her face go away, but they had a mission to complete.

Garrus watched Shepard unleash her anger upon the geth that were firing up Kaidan and Kirrahe’s team. While this may help at the moment, he knew she would still have difficulties once this mission was over. It hurt him more to know that there was nothing he could do for her to alleviate what would come later.

After securing the site, everyone raced back to the Normandy, but came face to face with Saren instead. Shepard was taken aback by his change. She knew she was right about the holo. But the development had gone much further. She peeked out around her cover and shot at him, but each shot bounced off.

“This has been an impressive diversion, Shepard. My geth were utterly convinced the salarians were the real threat. Of course, it was all for nothing. I can’t let you disrupt what I have accomplished here. You can’t possibly understand what’s really at stake.” 

“Why are you doing this?” She shouted.

“You’ve seen the vision from the beacons, Shepard. You, of all people, should understand what the Reapers are capable of. They cannot be stopped. Do not mire yourself in pointless revolt. Do not sacrifice everything for the sake of petty freedoms. The Protheans tried to fight, and they were utterly destroyed. Trillions dead. But what if they had bowed before the invaders? Would the Protheans still exist? Is submission not preferable to extinction?”

Man, the guy loved to talk. He truly believed that the Reapers would let him live, that after all was said and done, his mind would be his own. 

“Sovereign’s manipulating you, and you don’t even know it! You’re already under its power!” 

“No! Sovereign needs me. If I find the Conduit, I’ve been promised a reprieve from the inevitable. This is my only hope.”

“Together we can stop Sovereign. We don’t have to submit to the Reapers. We can beat them!” 

“I no longer believe that, Shepard. The visions cannot be denied. The Reapers are too powerful. The only hope of survival is to join with them.”

Shepard took another look at Saren. The turian denied his indoctrination, but his body had already changed, leaning towards machine more than turian. It was looking as if a battle would be the only option.

Sovereign had amplified Saren's power, and his geth had stormed the area; overwhelming the team. Saren reached out and chucked Shepard aside. She struggled to regain her footing. Saren reached down once more to grab her by the throat and hold her over the edge of the landing.

His hands were cold around her throat, not warm like Garrus’. Up close Shepard could take in the extreme change he had gone through. She could see the wires, the blue lights, and metal that was taking over his form. Very little organic matter, what made him turian, was still part of him. It was frightening, but also sad to see what he had given up in the hopes of staying alive, while others perished.

Garrus and Wrex had kept their focus on battling the incoming geth. Garrus caught a flash of armor in his peripheral, and it drew his attention; allowing him to watch as Saren flung Shepard across the area. He continued to fire upon the geth, but at that moment could only watch as Saren’s hand wrapped around her delicate throat and lifted her off the ground; holding her over the edge.

Garrus didn’t wait for a second longer and turned his weapon on him and took a shot. Saren turned his head towards him, and Shepard took the opportunity to slam her fist into his face. It landed with enough force to knock him back and loosen his grip on her, dropping her to the floor.

She reached for the gun, but he had already returned to his floating platform. He gazed at her once more before speeding off. Shepard and her crew filed into the Normandy. 

“Hang on everyone,” Joker announced as he attempted to outrun the bomb. 

She watched it explode, the pain covering her face once more before turning away and heading to the debrief room.

“I can’t believe Ash didn’t make it. How could we just leave her down there?” 

He was angry and blaming Shepard for her choice. She wanted to yell at him. She wanted to scream that she didn’t want to leave her behind. That she tried her best. That the decision had killed her to make and that she was the one that was going to be telling her family what transpired.

Garrus watched as various emotions filled her face and he wanted to throw Kaidan back to Virmire for causing her such agony. He wanted her to shout at him, but instead, she told him that it wasn’t his choice, it was hers. It wasn’t his fault. She made the choice. Kaidan finally relinquished his anger and apologized, but Garrus wasn’t any happier about it. He still felt the urge to cause him bodily harm. The guy did not deserve her. So quick to turn on her for a decision that caused her more hurt than he seemed to realize. 

“Dismissed everyone.”

Garrus stayed in his chair as everyone filed out. “Did you need something, Garrus?” She asked, keeping her gaze on the floor. 

“I don’t know… Do you need something, Shepard?” 

She rubbed her forehead, “Yeah if you could go ahead and rewind history for me, that’d be great.”

Garrus rose from his seat and walked over to her. He pulled her to him and put his head on hers. He rubbed her back and said nothing. He felt her pause for a moment before relaxing against him, wrapping her arms around his waist. 

“Did I screw up? Should I have saved her instead of Kaidan?” 

“No one can answer that question, Shepard. You did what you had to. That kind of decision, it is never easy, and I know you could never accept it as such. Kaidan will get over it. He will understand it wasn’t simple. If he doesn’t, I’ll hang him out the airlock until he does.”

Shepard smiled at his attempt at humor. She felt safe being in his arms like this. Natural. Much like the night, they spent together. She didn’t want to leave, but there was still work to do. 

She reluctantly pushed herself away from him, “Well, we have to get back to the Citadel.” 

Garrus grasped her chin and lifted her face to his, “You did what you had to. I know it isn’t easy. If you need me, just call.” She could only nod in response as he ran his talon across her lips before releasing her.

“Joker.” 

“Yeah, Commander.” 

“Head to the Citadel. We have to meet with the Council.” 

“Aw, can’t we meet over coms so that I can hang up on them again. That is fun no matter how many times I do it.” 

Shepard tried to hide her smile, “Unfortunately, your disconnection skills will have to be put to use elsewhere.” 

“Roger that, Commander.”

Shepard had instructed her team to wait on the Normandy, while she dealt with the Council and prepare to head for Ilos when she returned. However, the meeting was going from bad to worse. Shepard had realized that the Council lied to her. That didn’t stop her from trying to convince them to let her continue with the mission.

“One ship going into the Terminus Systems won’t start a war. I can be discreet.” 

“You detonated a nuclear device on Virmire. I wouldn’t call that discreet!” 

Shepard slashed her eyes to the turian councilor. Mighty uppity on his little pedestal. 

“Your style served you well in the Traverse, Commander. We recognize that. But Ilos requires a deft touch. We have the situation under control.” The asari councilor added.

Shepard released a frustrated sigh after the Councilors continued denial. She turned to Udina, “If Saren finds the Conduit, we’re all screwed! We have to go to Ilos!” 

The turian councilor cut in once more, “Ambassador Udina, I get the sense Commander Shepard isn’t willing to let this go.”

She wanted to slam her fist into that smug turian’s face. 

“It is just politics, Commander. You’ve done your job, now let me do mine. We’ve locked out all the Normandy’s primary systems. Until further notice, you’re grounded.” 

Shepard’s frustration turned to fury as she narrowed her eyes at the Council and Udina, “All of this is going to come around and bite you in the ass. Don’t worry though; I’ll make sure to be there to tell you ‘I told you so.’”

Garrus and the rest of the crew had heard from Joker about the ship being grounded. Garrus sat in the mess deck and watched as Shepard headed to her room. He could see the anger and frustration in her movements alone. Kaidan entered her quarters shortly after her.

Garrus took a sip from his drink. Guess it is time for them to figure out what they are doing. She should be happy or at least have some form of stress release, even if it is Kaidan. Besides, it isn’t any of my business.

Tali appeared next to him, “So…. Shepard is pretty angry.” Garrus grunted in agreement. “Are you going to talk to her?” 

Garrus peeked down at Tali before eyeing the area where Shepard’s room was located, “Aren’t you going to?” 

“No, definitely not. She is too angry for me to help out.” 

“You sure? Aren’t you and Shepard…” Garrus trailed off, hoping Tali would get the hint. 

Tali stared at him with a blank expression, “Are we what?” 

Garrus shook his head, “Nothing.”

He released a heavy sigh, “I think Kaidan might be able to help her in this instance.” 

Tali rolled her eyes behind her mask. She knew what he was referring to, but if he wasn’t going to ask her straight out, she wasn’t going to acknowledge it. Either way, he was obtuse. 

“I disagree. Kaidan is okay, but Shepard doesn’t want what he is offering. I have a feeling she may be more upset after their meeting. Then again, there is always angry… well, I don’t think Kaidan could handle that either. Poor Shepard.” Tali threw her drink away and headed to engineering, quietly patting herself on the back.

Garrus stared at the area for a few seconds longer. Tali’s words were spinning around in his mind. No way Kaidan could handle her, in or out of bed. Especially in bed. Some weak human. Pawing at Shepard. Undressing her. Touching her.

Garrus was unaware of the deep growl emitting from his chest or the looks of the now fearful crew members. He slammed his drink and moved towards her room, but when he reached her door, his earlier bravado disappeared. What was he going to do? Barge in while they were going at it? Stop them? Throw him out? Okay, the last option sounded better and possible.

Thanks to his turian hearing, he could hear their voices slipping past the door, interrupting his thoughts. 

“It is what it is, Kaidan.” 

“What is wrong, Shepard? I thought we had something? I thought you saved me because… you know.”

Shepard pressed her two fingers against the middle of her forehead, “Kaidan I made a choice; my emotions were not involved with it.” 

“Look I know you might have something for that turian, but I am one of your own. You can’t have much of a future with an alien that doesn’t match you.”

Shepard slowly stood, “Excuse me?” 

Kaidan moved closer, so they were face to face, “I understand it is something new. I get it. But in the end, I’ll be the one here for you. In the end, we can settle down. We can have children of our own. Hell, we can eat the same foods. You can’t that with a turian.”

The last bit pained him, but there was nothing between them. Just a close friendship. The voice in the far back of his mind was again calling him a liar. If you don’t like her why does it hurt? Garrus pushed the voice aside. 

“How do you know what I want, Kaidan? How well do you know me exactly? Why are you even here?” She leaned into him, “Hoping to help me release some tension?”

Garrus clenched his fists. His mind was telling him to walk away. To leave before he heard the rest. Leave before he had to hear Kaidan and Shepard… together… hear Shepard’s moaning. The low snarl that emanated from Garrus was not one he had experienced before, but ignored it as his body was ignoring his command to move from the door.

“I’m here for whatever you need, Shepard.” Kaidan was excited about that prospect, failing to see the anger still present in her body language and eyes. 

Shepard returned to her standing position, “Kaidan, I care for you as a friend, but I’m sorry I don’t have any romantic feelings for you.” 

“We don’t have to have a romantic relationship. Friends can have a little fun, right?”

Kaidan pulled Shepard to himself. 

Shepard attempted to push him away, “No, Kaidan.” 

“Shepard, I know you haven’t been with anyone lately. Still so tense.” 

“Kaidan… I said no.” Kaidan gripped her harder, “Shepard, Garrus has no interest in you. Get over it. I can help you get over it.” Kaidan smiled as he ran his finger down her chest. 

“Kaidan. No!”

Garrus couldn’t contain himself any longer. 300lbs of angry, roaring turian burst through, startling the two. Kaidan loosened his grip, but Garrus saw where his hands had been. 

He grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the ground, “She said no, you pathetic meat bag.” 

Shepard was amazed and aroused by Garrus’ actions and strength.

“Garrus…” Placing a hand on his arm, “I’m okay. Let him go.” 

Garrus turned his head to assess her. When he was sure she was okay, he dropped Kaidan. 

Shepard looked down at him, “Kaidan you should probably leave.” 

Kaidan coughed and glared at the two before sprinting to his quarters. Shepard moved to her bed, sitting on the edge, her head in her hands.

Garrus waited till he had calmed and approached her, “Shepard… I uh…” 

Shepard lifted her head to look at him, “Thank you, Garrus.” 

Garrus’ eyes widened, his mandibles twitching slightly. 

“I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. I did not think he would go that far.” Shepard let out a long, exhausted sigh. “So, how much did you hear?”

Garrus glanced at his feet, “Just the last part, something about getting over it and you telling him no.” 

Shepard stared at him, and he struggled to avoid squirming under her gaze. “Well, either way. Thanks.” 

Garrus sat down next to her. She grabbed his hand and held it in hers as she laid her head on his shoulder. 

“This has all turned to shit real quick.”

Garrus chuckled, “Yeah it has. Nothing new in that department.” 

Shepard smiled, “Nope.” 

She turned her head, her face centimeters from his. She took in the markings before moving to his mandible; taking in the entwining of curves and sharpness.

Garrus could feel her watching him, but he remained still. She moved her head ever so slightly to rub the underside of his mandible, eliciting a purr from him. 

He began to slowly turn his head to face her, “Hey, Commander.”

They quickly stopped any further action and looked away from one another.

“What Joker? Do you always know when I’m doing something?” 

“No… not always… but if you are doing something right now, you better tell me about it.” 

She laughed nervously, “What the hell do you want, Joker?” 

“The captain said to meet him at Flux. That club down in the wards.” 

“Thanks, Joker.”

“We should probably go see him,” Garrus said as he pushed himself off the bed. 

“Yeah. Tell Wrex to get his big ass ready. I’ll meet you two at the door.” 

Garrus nodded and departed from the room.

Shepard stared at the ceiling. What just happened? More like, what was going to happen? God, she hoped she didn’t offend him. What if he didn’t want her to do that? 

“Son of a bitch.” 

“You rang?” Joker piped in. 

“Stuff it.”

The squad stood at the entrance of the club as Shepard scanned it to find Anderson sitting at an empty table towards the back. She approached and sat down, while Wrex and Garrus stood back to keep watch. As usual, the patrons gave them a wide berth.

“I’m glad you came, Shepard. I heard what happened.” 

“The Normandy’s been grounded.” 

“I know. I’m sorry. I wanted to warn you, but there was no way to get a message to you before you docked.” 

“It’s okay.” 

“I know you’re pissed off right now, but you can’t give up. They all think this is over, but we both know it’s not. You have to go to Ilos. You have to stop Saren from using the Conduit!”

“There’s only one ship that can get me into the Terminus System undetected, and she’s grounded.” 

A gleam appeared in Anderson’s eyes. The man had a plan. 

“What do you plan on doing exactly?” 

“The same thing you’d do. Go punch Udina and take over his computer.” 

Shepard smiled, “Yeah. I’d do that.”

The two shook hands, “Be careful, Sir. It’d be a shame for me to come back here and blow this place apart if something happens.” 

Anderson laughed, “Roger that, Commander.”

Shepard stood in the cockpit, waiting. Joker glanced up at her doubtfully. Suddenly the light turned green, “Fuck yeah, Anderson. Get us out of here, Joker. Now!” 

Shepard plotted the course to Ilos. “It is going to take us a few to get there, Commander,” Joker announced.

She turned on her speaker, “Everyone, we will be at Ilos soon. Take the time to relax, or sleep, or whatever the hell you want to get yourself ready. Shepard out.” 

Shepard decided to change and head to the workout area. She had some pent-up aggression that needed to be handled. Garrus stood off to the side and watched her beat up the poor heavy bag.

He finally moved into her line of sight, “Angry, Shepard?” 

She stopped and shook her arms, “A little. Why?” 

Garrus began taking off his armor, “I figured instead of an immobile target, maybe you would like a stronger, moving one.” 

Garrus stood in front of her in his undersuit. She again did an appraisal of him, but this time Garrus wasn’t sure if it was just a simple assessment. “Sure, why not.” She responded.

The two started with punches; ducking, dodging, blocking, until Garrus spoke up, “So. Ilos?” 

Shepard grunted as his last hit connected with her side, “Yeah. Thanks to the damn Council we have lost time.” She swung low and hit his stomach, causing him to groan in response. 

“True. Heard that turian councilor wasn’t too thrilled with you.”

Shepard gripped his wrist as he reached out to hit her, and hurled him into the wall. “Fucking turian.” 

Garrus grabbed her arm and swung her around, pinning it between her back and his chest. His other hand wrapped around her shoulders, “Oh come on, Shepard. He was kind of right you know. We turians usually are.” 

She knew he was riling her up, but her anger took over her logic.

His head had dropped down to be almost even with hers. She twisted her head slightly, making eye contact with him. 

“Well, sometimes they are. Especially one, sexy, turian.” 

A small moan escaped his mouth as she ran her tongue under his mandible, nipping it at the end. Garrus’ eyes widened, and his grip had loosened.

Precisely what she was going for. She elbowed his stomach causing him to loosen his grip further and hunch over her. 

She took the opportunity to toss him onto the mat and smirked, “But not always.” 

Garrus’ let out a primeval sound Shepard had never heard and saw something enter his eyes.

He jumped back to his feet and rushed her. Grabbing her wrists, he pinned her to the wall, holding her, so she was just a bit shorter than him. He pressed his body between her legs, so she had no choice but to wrap them around him. He heard her heart race, smelled that scent that always surrounded her, but he smelled something entirely different, and his body responded.

Growling he grabbed her chin, running his talon across her lips. “Playing dirty, Shepard.” His voice was deep, his subharmonics ranging to areas she couldn’t hear, but she felt their vibrations in her body. His eyes were a mix of emotions, but she could see the primal side of him stuck behind thin bars; reaching… waiting.

Garrus moved his hips into her, causing Shepard to moan. Kaidan was right. She thought. She hadn’t been with anyone and just that one movement lit her up. 

“Garrus…” She said his name so quietly that she didn’t think he heard it. 

Garrus cut his gaze from her mouth to her eyes. Eyes that had almost glazed over, held excitement, but something else too. But those same eyes contained no fear.

His brain finally came through, and he became acutely aware of what he had done. Oh, Spirits. Like Kaidan. He released her from his grip. Lowering her down till her feet hit the floor. He rushed to put on his armor. 

“Garrus?” 

“I… I’m sorry Shepard. I didn’t mean to do that. I’m sorry.” 

“Garrus, it’s okay.”

Garrus had finished with his gear and spun on the ball of his foot, “No, it is not okay. I am not Kaidan. This should not have happened. I… I’m sorry.” He headed to the elevator, leaving a confused and worried Shepard behind.

Shepard slid down the wall, staring at the doors. What shouldn’t have happened? She probably ruined one of the best friendships she’s ever had. Damn it. She slammed her head against the bulkhead. They were going to be at Ilos soon, and it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to try and deal with this now.

She ran her hand down her face, exasperated, but also still excited. The primal side of him; she wasn’t afraid of it. She knew he wouldn’t intentionally hurt her and God help her she wanted to explore that side of him. Great, she had resorted to lusting after her best friend. Idiot.

Garrus sat on the other side of the Mako. Away from prying eyes. He replayed the scene in his mind. She had licked and nipped his mandible. It felt great, but she couldn’t have understood or known what that action meant to his species.

In the moment though, he wanted… Spirits what did he want? He pinned her to the wall. He was between her thighs. He could smell all of her. That one scent… one scent that made his body react. React without his consent, without his knowledge. Garrus mostly ignored the smells from humans unless he was trying to track someone. Had she been a turian, she would have known what she was doing. But humans… they were a different and confusing matter. A matter he never was interested in figuring out.

However, being around Shepard and the other crew members he had become a bit more familiar with the different sounds and certain facial expressions. The moan she released didn’t sound like one of pain. No, it sounded like she… enjoyed it. Garrus let a low growl escape. 

“You okay over there turian?” Wrex, of course, heard it. The damn beast. 

“Not now!” He could hear him roar with laughter.

Garrus pushed the noise aside and brought the situation back to his mind. Her eyes came to his mind first. Those familiar cat eyes that had held no terror in them. She was pinned against a wall by an animal. Yeah, an animal because that is how I acted. But she had no fear… she was excited. The way she spoke his name.

Garrus had to squash another growl that sought to escape. I was just like Kaidan. He ran his palm down his face. I was willing to take her. Take her like some wild beast, with no concern for her. Garrus dropped his head forward to glower at the floor. What about their friendship?

Shepard was someone who he had grown close to; someone he considered a best friend. Someone he felt he could talk to about anything. He didn’t know if he should go up there and grovel at her feet and beg for forgiveness or pretend like it never happened. As they were coming up on Ilos soon, trying to do any of it was out of the question. 

“Fuck me.” 

“No thanks,” Wrex yelled. 

“Shove it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, would you all enjoy more conversations and side events? (Outside of the original ME timeline and events.) Thoughts, comments, concerns, etc.


	7. Saved the Citadel... or Something

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ilos. Geth. Saren. Virgil? Vigil? The Mako is a missile in disguise. Debris, debris as far as the eye can see. Salarian doctors are a no for Wrex. You'll visit, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing. EA/Bioware own all.

“Drop us right on those bastards. Wrex, Garrus, to the Mako.”

“Roger, Commander.”

The team filed into the Mako and were launched from the Normandy. Shepard kept her eyes focused on Saren and his geth squad as the ground was flying up to meet them.

“Brace for impact!” She yelled to her crew.

The Mako slammed into the ground, “Nice landing, Shepard.” Wrex grumbled. 

“Next time I’ll make sure we land on something much softer, princess.” 

They caught sight of Saren as he turned to stare at them. Garrus jumped onto the Mako’s weapon and attempted to fire, but the door slammed shut behind him.

They had made the landing, but now faced a massive, closed door. “Saren got in, so there must be some terminal we can override,” Garrus suggested. 

“Well, let’s get started.” 

The team moved through the facility, passing unique architecture and sculptures. 

Shepard stopped in front of a statute, “This is…” 

“Horrifying?” Garrus supplemented. 

“That and haunting. I wonder what the artist was thinking when this was being created.”

Wrex poked the statute, “I don’t know, but it is hideous.” 

“It is art, Wrex.” 

“Yeah, hideous art.” 

Garrus shook his head at the two, “If you two art connoisseurs are done, can we move on?” 

The crew moved away from the statute and continued their search for the terminal to open the door. However, the search was being hindered by geth. It seemed as if around every corner geth waited for them; attacking almost immediately. 

“Damn, these guys are everywhere,” Shepard yelled. 

“I know! This is awesome!” Wrex roared as he charged another group.

Eventually, the group entered a room with terminals located inside. Shepard approached one and pushed a few keys, but there was no response. She shrugged at Garrus and Wrex, walking away from the terminal. 

“Hold on… something’s happening.” Garrus pointed to the red, broken hologram that had popped up.

“—too late… unable to… invading fleets… no escape.” 

“Sounds like some kind of message. But I don’t recognize the language.” Garrus inspected the device with a quizzical expression. 

“Wait, you two don’t recognize that?” The two shook their heads. “I do. It’s Prothean. The message is broken up, but I recognize some of the words. It’s a warning against the Reaper invasion.”

Shepard leaned a bit closer to the device. “Of safe…seek refuge…--side the archives.” The hologram sputtered out. 

“What is it saying? Can you make out anything useful?” Garrus questioned. 

“—alled Reapers,.. the Citadel… overwhelmed.. only hope… --act of desperation… the Conduit… all is lost.” Shepard shook her head, “It said something about the Conduit, but it’s too degraded to help. We should go.”

Shepard and her squad continued till a gigantic barrier blocked their path. 

“No, this isn’t a trap.” Sarcasm dripped from Wrex’s voice. 

“Yeah, not a trap at all.” Garrus stared warily at the huge barrier wall. 

“Look at you two, best bros.” Shepard rolled her eyes, “Come on, there is a doorway over here.”

The squad encountered Vigil; a damaged VI program. 

“So, you put up the barrier to bring us in here?” Shepard questioned. 

“Affirmative. I needed to speak with you as it was of upmost important.” 

“Holy shit, I can understand that thing. I know Prothean.” Wrex boasted. 

“You aren’t that special, Wrex.” Garrus jabbed.

“I have been watching your group since you have arrived and included your language into my system in order to speak in a manner you would understand.” Vigil stated. 

“Ha! Looks like the machine says you aren’t special either.” Shepard joked. 

“Bah.” Wrex waved dismissively at the group, turning to keep an eye on the doorway.

After Vigil completed his explanation, the team realized how in trouble the galaxy was. 

“Shit. Everyone is in danger.” 

“If Saren and Sovereign are able to take control of the system, the Reapers will arrive. Before you leave, take this data disk. It will give you access to the station and prevent their entry.”

Shepard seized the disk, “Thanks, Vigil.” 

“Good luck. I hope you are able to do what we were never able to.” 

With that Vigil shut off and the crew ran back to the Mako. As they raced to the Conduit geth began materializing from everywhere. 

“Damn. We can’t take them all on; there is no time.” 

“Hang on! We’re gunning it.” Garrus exclaimed as he hit the gas. They ignored the shots and damage from the other geth and continued till they hit the Conduit which spaced them to the Citadel.

Garrus had lost control of the Mako, “Brace yourselves!” 

The Mako was spat out from the Conduit and into nearby geth before finally coming to a stop, upside down. 

“Wrex, get your fat turtle ass off my legs.” Shepard tried to wiggle from underneath the behemoth. 

“Stop moving so much, Shepard.”

Shepard turned her head to realize that Garrus had grabbed her and she was laying on top of him. 

“Yeah, you might excite the turian,” Wrex commented. 

“Don’t be jealous.” Garrus jabbed. 

Shepard couldn’t help the laughter that escaped. “Seriously, get the fuck off me we have shit to kill and a Citadel to save.”

Getting out of the Mako had been the easy part. Running through the Citadel to reach Saren… Not so much. Geth attempted to stop them at every turn, but the team worked together to continue moving through the station. Well, working together when Wrex wasn’t running off on his own. 

This time, however, the geth were overtaking him. “Garrus, keep firing.”

Shepard ran to Wrex and began to wrench them off him with all her might, but they kept coming. 

“Shepard! Get out of there.” Garrus continued to do what he could, but they were swarming. Suddenly, there was a roar and an intense blast of biotic energy. Throwing pieces of geth into the area.

Garrus could see Shepard covering Wrex’s body with her own. He watched as blood dripped from her arms as she stood up on wobbly legs. Wrex pushed himself up off the ground, reaching out to hold Shepard as she found her footing. 

“Shepard…”

The way he said her name was different. It was softer, much softer than either Garrus or Shepard had heard from him. 

“You okay, Wrex?” She was once again putting the care of others in front of herself. 

Garrus watched as a smile spread across the krogan’s face, “Yeah… thanks.”

He pointed a finger in her face, “But don’t do it again. You could have died, and then I’d be stuck with ugly over there to kill Saren.” 

“Hey… well, I agree with Wrex. At least on the former and latter parts.” 

Shepard smiled at the two, “Yeah, yeah. I’ll try.”

She snatched Wrex’s armor, “You should listen then, and those kinds of things won’t happen, you big oaf.” She released him, and Wrex grunted in agreement, a smile still on his face.

The console was finally within reach. Shepard sprinted to the console only to find Saren hovering over it. He dashed to the edge and leaped off, coming back into view once more on his floating platform. 

“I was afraid you weren’t going to make it in time Shepard.”

Shepard dove behind cover, “In time for what?” 

“The final confrontation. I think we both expected it would end like this. You’ve lost. You know that, don’t you? In a few minutes, Sovereign will have full control of all the Citadel’s systems. The relay will open. The Reapers will return.” 

Geez, this guy and talking.

“You let Sovereign implant you? Are you insane?” A rhetorical question because anyone doing what he was doing was obviously insane. 

“I suppose I should thank you, Shepard. After Virmire, I couldn’t stop thinking about what you said. About Sovereign manipulating me. About indoctrination. This doubt began to eat away at me. Sovereign sensed my hesitation. I was implanted to strengthen my resolve.”

Shit, the guy had gone banana sandwich. Shepard looked over to see Garrus setting up to take a shot, she shook her head and signaled him to wait. Garrus mandibles drew up tight next to his face, he wanted to protest, but he moved back from his weapon. 

“Sovereign’s controlling you through your implants! Don’t you see that?”

Of course, he didn’t. 

“Sovereign hasn’t won yet. I can stop it from taking control of the station! Step aside, and the invasion will never happen!” She was wearing him down. 

“Some part of you must still realize this is wrong. You can fight this!” 

“Maybe you’re right. Maybe there is still a chance for… unh!”

The sound that came from Saren, Shepard could only conclude as pain as she saw him cradling his head, his subharmonics fluctuated wildly, and his mandibles flared so far from the sides of his face it looked painful. 

“The implants… Sovereign is too strong. I’m sorry. It’s too late for me.” 

Shepard stood from behind her cover and moved towards Saren.

Garrus wanted to tackle her, but she signaled him to stay put. 

“It’s not over yet. You can still redeem yourself!” But Shepard knew he had finally realized he was past the point of no return.

He gave a quick glance at his form, finally seeing the damage that he allowed to happen. Realizing what he had given up to Sovereign. Saren tilted his gaze down towards Shepard. Appreciation, sadness, and regret were written across his mostly machine face. 

He gave her a slight smile and a nod, “Goodbye, Shepard. Thank you.” Saren brought the gun to the underside of his mandible and fired. It caused him to fall from his platform and crash through glass till finally hitting bottom.

Shepard shook her head, “Saren.…” She raced to the console to use the data file and open the Citadel.

Her problems weren’t over though. Was she going to save the Ascension and thus save the Council by sacrificing an entire human fleet or attack Sovereign and let them die? 

“You’d sacrifice human lives to save the Council? What have they ever done for your kind?” She could hear the anger in Wrex’s voice. 

“This is bigger than humanity. Sovereign’s a threat to every organic species in the galaxy!” She could hear pleading in Garrus’ tone, and yet… she didn’t think he was that invested in his opinion. 

“That’s why you can’t throw away reinforcements trying to save the Council. Hold them back until the Citadel arms open up and the human fleet can go after Sovereign!” Wrex shot back.

Garrus had no response, but a look of resignation came over his face. Wrex was right. Those fleets were going to be needed later. Sacrifice an entire fleet for one ship or sacrifice a ship and save an entire fleet. That thought didn’t make the situation any easier. Even worse, Shepard was faced with another decision he knew would cause pain later.

“Joker. We’re not sacrificing human lives to save the Council. We are going to need the fleets for the future invasion. Keep our ships back until they can get a shot at Sovereign.” 

“All Alliance ships hold formation. Wait for a shot at Sovereign. Nothing else matters. I repeat, nothing else matters!” Admiral Hackett broadcasted to the fleet.

The fleet moved in to close upon the Citadel, “It’s the Alliance! Open a comm channel.” The Destiny Ascension Commander yelled. “This is the Ascension. We are taking heavy damage. GARDIAN defenses are overwhelmed, kinetic barriers are off-line.” 

The Navigator interrupted her broadcast, “Commander… they closed the channel.” A look of dread fell upon their faces as they watched the Alliance fleet advance towards the Citadel. 

Shepard gazed over the edge at Saren’s motionless body, “Make sure he is dead.” 

Wrex and Garrus jumped down to the area below. Wrex came upon him first, sending a few rounds through his skull. Garrus arched a brow plate at him, “What?” 

Garrus turned his head up towards Shepard, “He is dead, Shepard.”

The two turned away from Saren’s body, but unexpectedly red energy began racing around the area. It finally reached the dead body of Saren, shocking and enveloping him, while flinging Garrus and Wrex backward.

The screech that came from Saren was unholy and unnatural. The upper platform began to crumble beneath Shepard’s feet, causing her to slide and eventually roll down till she hit bottom. She pushed herself off the floor, and her face froze in shock as she witnessed Saren’s transformation. He was transforming into something that, unless she had seen it in person, she would never have believed was real.

“What the hell is that thing?” 

Saren was now a distorted machine with the only recognizable turian part being the top part of his skull. 

“Take that thing out!” 

“Roger!” Wrex and Garrus yelled. The transformation into this new creature had amplified Saren's powers.

He was much faster than any of them had thought possible. In addition to the increased speed, his strength and power increased as well. Shepard employed her biotics to slow him down to give everyone the chance to cause more damage. The team finally fell Saren's shields, but it didn't make the situation any easier. It seemed only to make Saren, well what used to be Saren, angrier.

Shepard glanced at her crew, taking in their damaged armor and fatigued expressions. Wrex continued to charge and battle Saren, even after being thrown into a nearby wall. Garrus continued to fire and doing his best to give Wrex the time he needed to recharge. Shepard knew the team couldn’t keep up these attacks.

She locked eyes with Garrus and he could see a decision already made in them. He knew it would once again involve her putting herself in harm’s way. No. He wanted to yell at her, but instead, he watched her wink at him before launching herself at the beast.

“Keep shooting!” Shepard yelled as she charged Saren. “Garrus, I’m going to give you the shot.” 

Garrus kept his rifle on them. What did she mean? Before he could analyze the question, she created a barrier that encased the two. Saren quickly realized that he was trapped in the barrier and focused his attention on Shepard.

He was slashing at her shields, finally taking them down and continued to slash into her armor, “Now!” 

Garrus took the shot, and the barrier dropped. Garrus and Wrex ran to Shepard’s side. Saren’s twitching body fell on top of her, but she shoved him off.

The three warriors watched as he started to disintegrate in front of their eyes. Garrus gaze moved to Shepard’s chest and noticed that Saren had gotten through her armor. Blood was trickling from her chest, but she either didn’t know, didn’t care, or both. Shepard overheard the battle happening outside, prompting her to look up and see the inbound pieces of debris.

“Go!” She yelled, using the last of her biotic strength to toss Wrex and Garrus out of the way of the incoming wreckage.

“Shepard! NO!” Garrus bellowed, fear and anger entering his subharmonics.

Wrex held him back as a piece of Sovereign came down, enclosing them in the space. Once the floor and wreckage had stopped shaking, the two attempted to dig themselves out of the mess. But the falling debris and previous battle had injured them, so digging out of the wreckage was going slow.

They could hear Anderson and other alliance troops enter the area. Anderson poked his head into the area where the warriors were moving out of, “Take it easy… it’s over. You’re safe now. Where’s the Commander? Where’s Shepard?” Anderson questioned as he helped them out of the space.

Wrex hung his head and shook it. Garrus turned his head to the large piece of the ship that had crashed to where she once had stood. Alliance members helped Wrex and Garrus move through the wreckage.

The group heard noise coming from the crash site and whirled towards the sounds to find Shepard climbing to the top of a piece of rubble. They were alive, she thought.

She continued her trek down, holding her side and limping slightly, but a smile was plastered on her face. “Aw, were you guys going to leave me behind? Some friends you all are.”

Garrus grasped her shoulders, mandibles twitching, “That was reckless and dangerous and… and… Thank you.” 

Wrex laid his hand on her head, “Yeah… thanks, Shepard.” 

Shepard saw the appreciation and relief on her friends' faces. “Well, someone has to save your ugly behinds.” The room erupted in laughter.

Everyone went to the hospital to get checked out and patched up. Shepard had to talk Wrex down and make him go through with the hospital care. 

“Wrex!” Shepard limped over to the angry krogan. She grabbed the front of his armor, “Calm down, Wrex.” 

“I don’t want them touching me.” Wrex sent a scathing stare at the two salarians who were waiting to treat him. “Where is our doc?” 

“She is treating some of the injured Alliance crew on other ships. These two are only trying to help you.”

Wrex kept his glare on the salarian doctors. 

“Would you feel better if I kept an eye on them while they did the work.” Wrex shifted his gaze to her in response. Shepard sighed and released his armor, “Tell the docs that I’ll be in here. You too, Garrus!” she commanded.

“She just stopped a krogan from raging in a hospital,” Anderson commented. 

“It is Shepard we are talking about,” Garrus smirked and moved to the exam room. 

“There can’t be this many-.” Shepard turned on the doctor, “Unless you want me to release my krogan on you, I suggest you don’t finish that sentence. Spectre authority.” She added for good measure. 

“Ha!” Wrex roared, “I knew I liked you, Shepard.” She rolled her eyes, but bumped him with her hip.

Once Shepard was cleared, she met with Anderson and Udina. She stood in front of the two men as Udian spoke about the changes that would now have to be made to the Council and the Citadel. Anderson and Udina had given her the option to choose who she would like to take the open Councilor position.

Her choices were Udina or Anderson, “Well, Udina you have experience in politics.” A smug smile appeared on his face, almost taking a step forward to accept the new position until Shepard began speaking, “But, Anderson has experience with war, and that is what we are going to face. So, I choose Anderson.”

The smirk that was on his face fell instantly, and he stepped back. “It is your choice, Shepard. And I’ll be here to provide my political expertise.” Shepard lifted her brow, “You mean the expertise that tossed me and my information aside because you were so diehard for a seat on the Council. Look how well all that ended.”

Shepard turned to Anderson, not allowing for him to respond. “Congrats, Sir. And good luck.” 

Anderson returned her handshake, “Thank you, Shepard.” 

He had been there for her for years, and he had been one of the very few who almost always believed her. Even when it came to crazy unknown creatures that wanted to destroy other species. 

She smiled at him, covering his hand with both of hers, “I’ll stop by after I take care of the crew.” 

Anderson mirrored her actions, “Of course. Good luck.”

Shepard leaned over the railing, making a note of all the damage in the Citadel. 

“So, humans on the Council.” Garrus joined her, crossing his arms on the railing. 

Shepard exhaled loudly, “Yeah. Look… I didn’t… I didn’t kill the Council to get humans on it.” 

“I know, Shepard. That isn’t who you are.”

She turned towards him and smiled, “Thanks, Garrus. So, what are you going to do next?” 

Garrus gripped the railing and pushed himself into an upright position, keeping his gaze on the window, “I was serious before. I am reapplying to Spectre training. Might get selected too, ya know since I’m best buds with this one hero Spectre. Saved the Citadel or something.”

He winked at her making her chuckle, “I guess I could put in a good word for you. Let them know you aren’t half bad and your sniping skills are above average.” 

“Above average, huh? Whatever makes you feel better, Shepard.” 

She faced the window and bumped against him, “Don’t cry about it, mister big, bad turian.”

Garrus reached out, wrapping his arm around her waist, pulling her close. Shepard didn’t fight. She placed her head on his shoulder. 

“I’m going to miss you, squishy.” 

“I’m going to miss you too, raptor chicken.” Garrus smiled at his nickname. 

“I know you are all big, hero Spectre now, but… you’ll keep in touch, right?” 

Shepard could hear more than just a question in his voice, “Of course, Garrus. I’m not going to leave my bestie high and dry.”

“Good, cause if you did I’d hunt you down and hang you out the airlock till you apologized.” 

Shepard laughed and squeezed his side. Garrus placed his head on hers and inhaled her scent; burning it into his memory. It may be some time before they could see one another again and he didn’t want to forget it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of ME1! My goodness. What a ride. Up next will be ME2, which will be quite a bit longer than ME1. I want to add in some side conversations and events. Spice things up a bit. Of course, add in more portions of smut along the way. 
> 
> As always, thoughts, complaints, concerns, questions, etc.


	8. They Said You Were Dead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the beginning of ME2. I hope you enjoyed the first few chapters of this story. ME2 will be quite a bit longer than the first part of this story. As always, I have added twists and turns to this story. The Captain goes down with the ship! Wait... What? You were dead. They said you were dead. Pirates. When in doubt... pirates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing. At all. Ever. All is owned by EA/Bioware.

The Normandy was traversing the galaxy, searching for clues as to the whereabouts of missing ships, at the request of the Council. They had also been tasked with killing off the remaining pockets of geth, but Shepard knew that there was something more to the missing ships.

So, she mostly ignored the search for geth and instead focused more on the missing humans. “We’ve been out here for four days and haven’t seen anything. My money is on slavers. The Terminus System is crawling with them.” Navigator Pressly declared as he scanned through his datapad. 

“Maybe they just up and left. Got tired of being colonists and now they’re pirates. Waiting for us.”

Shepard’s amusement with the conversation came through the comms, “We wouldn’t want that. They’d hurt your girl.” 

“True. But they have to catch us first. Ain’t nothing out there catching my baby.” 

A nearby staff ensign cut into the conversation, “Picking up something on the long-range scanner. Unidentified vessel. Looks like a cruiser.”

Joker narrowed his eyes as he analyzed the signature, “Doesn’t match any known signatures.” 

“Cruiser is changing course. Now on intercept trajectory.” 

Pressly ran through the ship’s systems, “Can’t be. Stealth systems are engaged. There’s no way a geth ship could-.” 

“It’s not the geth. Brace for evasive maneuvers!” Joker broadcasted to the ship.

The Normandy was going down. Shepard called out instructions to her crew as she moved along. “Get everyone into the shuttles.” 

Shepard ran through the ship, tossing people into the escape pods. She could hear Joker over the systems. Damn it, Joker. 

She rushed to the cockpit, dodging fires and explosions. As she neared the cockpit, she could see Joker struggling to save the ship, “Come on baby. Stay together.” Joker’s hands flew across the console. 

“Come on, Joker! We have to get out of here!” Shepard ordered.

“No! I won’t abandon the Normandy! I can still save her!” 

“The Normandy’s lost. Going down with the ship won’t change that.” 

Joker calmed his hands, “Yeah… okay. Help me up.” 

Shepard threw Joker’s arm around her shoulder and yanked him out of the seat, “Ah! Watch the arm!” 

“Stop being a baby!” 

She threw him into the pod and attempted to climb in, but a nearby explosion flung her away from it. 

She grasped the bulkhead, “Shepard!” Joker reached out to her. 

She raised her head to him as she pressed the ejection button. More explosions followed, tossing her aside and spacing her. A piece of debris flew past, cutting her line of air. Her hands went to her throat, gasping for each breath as she began plummeting to the planet below.

Joker and Anderson stood in the room waiting for Garrus to arrive. “I wish we brought Wrex or the Alliance fleet.” 

“I can agree with you on that.” What humor would have been present was overshadowed by the grim reality of what they were there to do.

As Garrus entered, the two took a deep breath. “Uh, you two okay? Joker, you didn’t bust a hip coming all this way, did you?” Garrus waited for them to respond, but neither one reacted to his joke. 

“Maybe you should sit down, Garrus.” Garrus’ sharp gaze shifted between the two. 

“Okay…” Garrus smelled the fear and… sadness? Anger? 

“We have some news about, Shepard. We wanted to tell you before you saw or heard it from somewhere else.” 

Warning bells began to go off in his mind, “What happened? Where is she?”

Joker spoke up first, “I’m sorry, Garrus. I didn’t… If I knew… I’m sorry, man.” Joker hung his head, afraid to make eye contact with him. Garrus couldn’t recall a time that Joker had been as serious as he was now, which was a red flag.

Garrus focused his attention on the older man, “Anderson… where… is… Shepard?” Garrus spaced each word, trying to maintain a semblance of calm. 

“I’m sorry, Garrus. The Normandy was attacked. She couldn’t get to a pod. She got spaced. She’s dead. I’m sorry.” Anderson stepped back as rage began to enter the turian’s face.

“No. How… who?” 

“I don’t know. The ship was unlike anything we have ever dealt with. It made me think Reapers.” Joker answered. 

“How did she not get to a pod?” 

Joker heaved a sigh, “It was my fault. I was in the cockpit still. I was trying to save the ship. She was helping me into the escape pod, but was blown back from it. She hit the eject button to save me.”

Garrus began to rise slowly from his seat, “You put her at risk because of a **ship!**.” Garrus snarled the word and pinned Joker with a stare that was full of malice. The apex predator was slowly coming to the surface.

Garrus’ gaze dropped to the table to see flashes of Shepard’s face floating across the surface. She hadn’t contacted him in a while and it had worried him. There was a strange pain in his chest that became more bothersome as time went by and she still had not responded. Her not answering for days at a time was nothing new, but she had usually sent short messages or a recording to let him know what was going on; to keep him from fretting about her.

The fear and pain returned with a vengeance and without warning Garrus seized the table and hurled it across the room, shattering the window. “A ship?!” His subharmonics expressed the fury, but underneath those notes was pain.

Security began to file into the room attempting to restrain him. He tossed each one as if they were nothing. Other turians began to file in and did their best to control him. 

“Garrus!” Anderson shouted. 

Garrus snarled in response, baring sharp teeth through flared mandibles and opened mouth as he continued breaking through the holds of the other men.

“Shepard wouldn’t want you acting this way and you know it.” 

Garrus heard her name first, making him stop and process the rest of what Anderson had said. He’s right. She would never want him to behave like this, at least not against her fellow friends.

He became silent and stilled his struggling. “I know,” came his quiet reply. 

“Release him.” The security members glanced at one another. 

“You heard him. Release him.” Bailey commanded as he came through the door.

Security slowly loosened their hold on him, still unsure that he wasn’t going to destroy something else. Garrus assessed the situation and the broken items around him. 

“I… I’m sorry.” Garrus rubbed his wrists as his gaze moved to the floor.

Anderson approached him, “I’m sorry too, Garrus. But I wanted to tell you personally. She wouldn’t have wanted you to hear from someone else.” 

Garrus glanced at the older man, “Yeah. I know.” 

Joker hobbled over to him, “Garrus… I’m sorry. Man… I…” he slumped forward.

“I know, Joker. I need some time. I know she wouldn’t blame you and I shouldn’t either. I just… need time” Garrus exited the room and headed to his apartment. 

Anderson skimmed a hand down his face, “Shit. I’m not sure if this could have been worse. Thanks, Bailey. I’ll make sure the damage is repaired.”

Bailey nodded, “Whatever you say, Councilor. I don’t blame the guy. It’s clear Shepard meant a lot to him. I’d behave like that if it was someone I cared about.” 

Anderson and Joker looked at one another. The same expression on their faces; caring probably didn’t warrant this level of anger. 

Bailey looked over at his men, “You all okay?” The crew gave a thumbs up. “Good. You two go ahead and get out of here. We’ll clean up.”

Garrus stared at his empty apartment. He was in the middle of Spectre training. Busting his ass and yet, at that moment it felt trivial. Worthless. He stared at the holo he had kept. A simple picture from a mission. She was smiling, using her arm to prop herself against him. His hand behind her back gripping her waist. Both covered in dirt and blood.

“I should have stayed with you, Shepard.” His voice echoed off the walls. He continued to stare at her face, “I should have stayed. You would be alive if I… Damn it. I’m sorry, Shepard.” 

His omni-tool pinged at him. He didn’t want to hear from anyone right now, but he popped the screen up anyway. It was a message from Joker.

**I debated sending this to you. I’m not sure if it will make you feel better or worse, but ultimately it was meant for you. I’m sorry, Garrus. More than you know. But I know there are no words I can say or type that would make this situation easier for you. If you didn’t realize it, she cared. She… Well, if you need anything… I’ll be here.**

Garrus saw the attachment and played the recording. It was Shepard. “Well, shit. This is a bit problematic.” 

He heard her sigh and smiled. He could picture her rolling her eyes as she said it. However, what came next instantly wiped the smile off his face.

“Fuck. My air!” He clenched his fist, “G-Garrus… I-I’m sorr-.” Then static. Her last thought was about him. Her last breath was for him. 

“Shepard. Spirits, why? Why you?” He spoke as if an answer were to be given to his question.

He continued to replay it. Listening to her voice, taking in every nuance of the recording. The sharp intake, the struggle, the panic, and the acceptance. His fists were clenched so hard, blood ran down his palm and splashed on the floor. He relaxed them and stared at the damage. As he stared at the lesions, he remembered one of his first meetings with Shepard.

 _“I know you can, but we haven’t got everything for you and Tali yet, we are waiting on the last shipment right now and Chakwas went out to pick up a few more items. So, for now, we will use human bandages and turian creams.”_ He chuckled at how easily she commanded him into the med bay. _“But I thought you were a big, tough turian?”_   I was Shepard. For you, he thought.

The moment came back, her moving in between his legs. Perfectly comfortable applying bandages and standing so close to him. He remembered how she looked. Small waist, full hips. Soft, porcelain skin. Her hair, a chocolate-caramel brown, was soft to the touch. Those penetrating, cat eyes that seemed like they could read your innermost thoughts. Eyes that could be filled with mirth one moment and rage the next. 

Flashes of what transpired in the workout room rushed into his mind. Those same eyes were filled with excitement, even as he had her pinned to the wall. She had complete trust that nothing would happen to her. He realized how her one simple act had brought out the predator in him. Spirits. He enjoyed it, but then again, remembering it brought along guilt as well.

He did a turian version of what Kaidan had done earlier, and he never got to talk to her about it. He should of. He should have sat her down before she left. Told her how sorry he was. That her friendship meant the world to him. That he would never harm her. Explain what she had done in turian terms. But most importantly… tell her how much she meant to him. 

“Fuck!” He roared, shaking the objects surrounding him.

Garrus had stared up at the ceiling for some time before finally deciding to head to his bedroom. He knew someone would have to clean out her apartment and told Anderson he would take care of it. He just needed a couple of days first.

Anderson told him to let him know when it was completed and assured him that no one would enter that room until he gave the go ahead. Garrus entered his room, stripped and laid down, staring at the ceiling once more. The night the two had spent together came to mind. He chuckled as he recalled the jokes and conversation. His mind slowly wandered as he remembered pulling her to him, keeping his arm wrapped around her as his face moved closer to her hair. He drifted off to sleep thinking about that night.

Garrus stood between Shepard’s kitchen and living room, staring out the window. It had been a while, longer than he cared to admit, for him to garner the courage to enter her room. He had stood outside the front door for a few minutes before he finally unlocked it and entered.

Everything was how she left it. A few clothing items tossed on the bed and doors were left open. Now, Garrus had the duty of disturbing and clearing out what remained of Shepard. Garrus moved closer towards the window as the front door opened.

“Garrus?” He spun towards the voice and discovered Shepard at the doorway. 

“Shepard? What are you…? You’re dead.” He watched as she entered her old apartment, her usual smirk appearing on her face. 

“You know me; nothing ever goes that simple.” 

Garrus rushed to her, pulling her close to him, inhaling her scent.

“Garrus… I need to breathe.” 

Garrus loosened his grip and placed her on her feet, “I’m sorry, I just… Shepard, they said you were dead.” He wanted to hold her for a bit longer. Long enough that his body and mind could confirm her as real.

“About that… do you want the long or short version?” 

“I’ll take the short version for now.” 

Shepard cocked a hip out and crossed her arms, “Well, I guess we should start with me being spaced. I thought I was going to die, but a nearby blast tossed me towards the only available pod. I got in and launched away from the ship. But I didn’t land with the rest of the crew and my comms were damaged. Hell, my whole suit was messed up too. Almost passed out from lack of oxygen till I made it into the pod and grabbed the spare oxygen containers. Eventually, pirates found me. I killed a few, one being their leader, and they decided to listen to my instructions after that. Brought me here and I came looking for you. Someone said you were clearing out my things, so I rushed over.”

She glanced around the area, “Not too much here, but hey you don’t have to leave with it.” 

Garrus’ eyes roamed her face, noting the new scars that were now present. He watched as her joking demeanor became serious, “Garrus. I need to talk to you.”

Garrus snapped out of his musings, “Right, uh, why don’t we sit down?” 

Shepard stared at her hands as Garrus sat quietly next to her, “That incident made me realize some things. It is interesting what a near-death experience will do to you.”

He heard her deep intake of breath and quick release, “I care about you, Garrus.” 

“I care about you too, Shepard.” 

He heard her frustrated sigh, “No. I mean I care about you more than a friend.” 

Garrus cocked his head slightly, a question on his face.

“I’ve thought about being with you more than once. I wanted to take things further with you, but I didn’t… I didn’t want to damage our friendship. You are one of the most important people in my life, Garrus. But I have to tell you this now. I'm not going to wait for the 'right' time.” 

She turned to him, waiting for him to reply. Worry was written on her face of what he might say in response to her declaration.

He reached out and brushed a stray hair back into place, “Shepard, you are important to me too. I care about our friendship, but I have also thought about you and I… being together.” Shepard pressed her face into his warm palm.

As her eyes slowly opened, Garrus caught her slightly dilated pupils and an expression he had not seen on her face before. She rose from the couch, “Is that so?” She began to walk out of the room, but glanced back at him and motioned for him to follow.

Garrus leapt from the couch and followed her into the bedroom. He closed the door, and when he turned around he could see her slowly unbuttoning her shirt and walking towards him. Her hips had more sway than usual, and it was difficult to keep his eyes off them.

“You should have said something, Garrus.” She pulled him down to rub her cheek against the side of his mandible, “Like that time in the workout room.” 

She repeated what she had done in that room and Garrus’ primal side rocketed to the surface. He picked her up and slammed her against the wall, pressing into her, but this time she willingly wrapped her legs around him.

She released a low moan, her eyes filled with want for him. Garrus couldn’t control his subharmonics anymore. He shoved his face into her neck, inhaling the scent he knew to belong only to Shepard. He ran a tongue from her neck and down the curve to her collarbone.

Her moans and movement were clouding what was left of his thought process. She continued to grind herself against him, whispering his name as he ran his tongue over her. 

“Garrus, bite me.” 

Garrus stopped caressing her, “Shepard?” 

“Bite me. Please.” She ran her teeth along his exposed neck as she begged.

“Shepard.” He growled, “You don’t know… You don’t understand.” 

“I want you, Garrus. I need you. Please… please.” 

He could hear her soft begging and couldn’t refuse her any longer, “I will, Shepard.” 

She released long, low moan as he grazed his sharp teeth against her soft skin, “Garrus.”

“Shepard.” 

“Garrus. You said you would never leave me.” 

Garrus stopped his actions as a new scent began to overtake his nostrils. A smell he was familiar with, but now alarmed him, “What?”

“I was alone, Garrus. You lied to me.” 

He could hear the distortion in her voice and he pulled back till her face came into his line of sight. Shepard’s face was almost unrecognizable now. Her fair skin was mostly charred, pieces of which he observed flake off her and fall to the ground. Her long, soft hair was mostly singed away; only a few strands remained attached to her skull. Her right eye socket was a dark void, while her left eye rolled around, absent of anything to hold it in place. Most of her teeth were missing, while the remaining ones hung precariously in their spots. Her lips and nose had been burned off, giving Garrus a horrid view of the interior space of her mouth. He could see where pieces of flesh had been burned away, but the muscles holding portions of her face together remained, slowly moving as she tried to speak. Garrus dropped her and watched as she struggled to breathe and pieces of her body began to fall away. She stretched her arm for his foot and attempted to drag herself towards him. Fragments of blackened skin cracked and fell aside, while pieces of ligaments and muscle began to snap from the bone.

He kicked her away from him and sprinted out of the room. He burst out of the apartment door, but instead of the bright and busy Citadel, he encountered the crashed Normandy. He took a couple of steps out of the entryway to watch as the wreckage burned. 

He turned back to the apartment, but Shepard stood in his way, “You lied to me, Garrus.” She wrapped her hands around his throat, “You lied!” She screamed as she began squeezing, cutting off his air supply. 

“I’m… sorry… Shepard.” He whispered before darkness overtook him.

Garrus bolted up from his bed, his heart beating erratically. His hand shook as he scanned the area, finally realizing he was in his room, alone. He fell back onto the bed, willing his heart to return to normal. It had been a while since he had a nightmare like that and he was sure it wouldn’t be the last. 

He glanced at the holo on his nightstand, “I’m sorry, Shepard. You were right.” His eyes went back to the ceiling, “You were right.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the start of ME2! Please let me know what you think.


	9. Just A Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Illusive Man. I don't trust either of you. Tali! Omega, you dirty, dirty asteroid. Deal? What deal?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Progressing on our little story. I own nothing, ever. At all. EA/Bioware owns everything.

“Wake up, Commander.” A voice gradually entered Shepard’s mind. Her eyes struggled to adjust to the bright room when the table she was lying on began to shake violently. “Shepard, do you hear me? Get out of that bed now – this facility is under attack.”

Shepard began to rise from the table sluggishly. “Your scars aren’t healed, but I need you to get moving. This facility is under attack.”

“Ah, no shit Sherlock.” Shepard cradled her head as the voice over the system continued to yell out instructions.

“There’s a pistol in the locker on the other side of the room. Hurry!” She rolled off the table and waited to gain her balance before moving towards the locker.

“For fuck’s sake. Nothing ever goes easy for me. Not even death.”

“Grab the pistol and armor from the locker.”

She quickly snapped her armor into place, but found no ammo in the gun. “A gun in the med bay, but no ammo. Really?” 

“It is a med bay. We’ll get you a clip from… damn it.” 

“You have gun and armor, but no ammo. Yeah, cause that makes sense.”

The unknown woman helped her get through the next set of rooms, but the comms began to fill with static. “Hey! Aussie! You there?” No response. “Well shit.”

Miranda, the woman who guided her out of the facility, and Jacob, both Cerberus operatives, sat in front of Shepard explaining where she was and what had been going on. 

“Did you say two years? I’ve been gone that long?” Shepard’s confusion turned to disbelief. 

“Two years and 12 days. And you were on an operating table for most of it.” Jacob answered.

After the startling revelation, the two Cerberus operatives wasted no time and began to lob questions at her while she was still trying to process it. Most of the inquiries she answered out of reflex and gave no thought to them, but then a question that she never wanted to be asked came.

“Why did I do it? That is what you want to know. All sorts of shit you can ask, but you decide on that one. Both of you can eat a dick.” A shocked expression was fixed upon their faces.

Shepard turned her gaze to the window, “I left a friend to die that day, and I didn’t do it casually. But I had to save as many people as I could. Ashley gave her life for the rest of the team. Without her, I couldn’t have stopped Saren. She died a fucking hero.”

“I understand, Commander. And I wasn’t judging your decision. Everybody at Cerberus knows that cloning facility had to be destroyed.” Jacob’s statement didn’t make her feel any better about the situation or question.

The three landed on a random Cerberus facility, and Shepard was instructed to meet with someone called the Illusive Man. 

“Really? Illusive Man? What are we eight?” Shepard mumbled as she walked through the doors.

She stood in the middle of the room and watched as an orange circular grid surrounded her. A man seated in a chair smoking a cigarette greeted her, “Commander Shepard.”

She leaned back and crossed her arms, “Illusive man. I thought we’d be meeting face to face.” 

“A necessary precaution. Not unusual for people who know what we know.” Darkness partially obscured his face, but she caught the knowing smirk upon his lips.

As she continued to converse and scrutinize him, alarm bells were going off in her mind. The hair on her neck began to rise and she couldn’t pinpoint the reason as to why. Sure, the man and his company didn’t have the best reputation, they were considered terrorists after all.

No, it was something much more than just the reputation. She left the briefing room, and her mind was still on the Illusive Man. She didn’t trust this Illusive Man, besides him being the head of the Cerberus group.

His eyes were odd and unsettling, and something about them were familiar, something she couldn’t remember, but sat at the edge of her mind waiting for her to discover. However, the meeting had made her inquisitive, but worry dominated that feeling.

Humans were going missing, not just ships, but entire colonies. Maybe the missing vessels from her initial investigation were linked to the missing colonists. Shepard and the Cerberus operatives were given information about another settlement that had been hit, and they were instructed to head that way.

Shepard could leave the group and head back to the Alliance, but if what they believed to be going on was true, then her leaving would be pointless. The Alliance and the Citadel were not helping the colonies in the Terminus Systems. Reasons as to why they didn’t help… Shepard could hazard a guess to that issue.

The team was heading to Freedom’s Progress to find evidence of what may be happening. Shepard had a variety of scenarios in her mind of what they may discover there, but none of them came close to what awaited them.

They expected the colony to be mostly empty when they arrived, but it wasn’t just empty, it was deserted. It was a confusing scene because there was no sign of battle or any other apparent reason as to why it should be deserted.

Instead, it was as if everyone had stopped what they were doing and left, but no indication as to where or why. There was no letter, no message, no drawing, nothing. What added to the bizarreness of the situation was that the colonists' items were all left behind, including money and jewelry.

Shepard and the Cerberus officers went through the rooms and open areas, but still no sign of why the colonists left. The attacking mechs might have been an option, but the three doubted that had anything to do with it considering there was no damage to the area. Well, until now.

Shepard opened another set of doors and were met by quarians with their weapons aimed at their faces. 

“Stop right there!” One demanded. 

“Prazza! You said you’d let me handle this!” An all too familiar voice spoke, coming up behind the man. She placed herself between the quarian team and Shepard’s.

The female turned towards Shepard, “Wait... Shepard?” 

Shepard signaled her people to lower their weapons. 

Prazza wasn’t so willing to follow, “I’m not taking any chances with Cerberus operatives!” 

“Put those weapons down!”

Tali turned to Shepard once more, “Shepard? Is that… you’re alive?” 

She had to convince her before a war broke out, “Remember that time that Garrus barged into my room?” Shepard asked, giving a small smile to her old friend.

“Yes, I do. Prazza, weapons down. This is definitely Commander Shepard.”

Prazza wasn’t happy about the decision, but he and his team finally holstered their weapons. There was animosity between the Cerberus operatives and the quarians, which Shepard obtained a small amount of information about.

Shepard cocked her head at her friend, “But why are you out here in a human colony?” 

“We had a quarian here who was on his Pilgrimage.” Tali further explained the situation to Shepard and asked for her help regarding their quarian friend.

Shepard agreed and the teams left to continue their search for the lost quarian. After taking out the remaining mechs and checking on Tali, Shepard opened the door to one of the last rooms. 

The quarian sat in front of multiple screens, “Monsters coming back. Mechs will protect. Safe from swarms. Have to hide. No monsters. No swarms. No-no-no-no-no.”

“I think he might be a bit off his rocker,” Shepard murmured. She approached the quarian. “Veetor?” 

“No Veetor. Not here. Swarms can’t find. Monsters coming. Have to hide.” Veetor’s attention didn’t deviate from the console screen.

Shepard typed into her omni-tool and ran it across the monitors, disrupting the feed and snapping the quarian to the present. 

He spun the chair around to face her, “You’re human. Where did you hide? How come they didn’t find you?” Veetor asked, switching his gaze to each person.

“Who didn’t find us?” Miranda questioned. 

“The… the monsters. The swarms. They took everyone.” 

If monsters had taken them, shouldn’t there be evidence, Shepard thought. “Why didn’t the colonists fight back, Veetor? What happened?”

Shepard heard Miranda gasp, “My God. I think it’s a Collector.” 

Shepard moved her gaze to the screens, “That doesn’t make much sense. I thought the Collectors kept to themselves?” 

“They do, usually. They will work through intermediaries, like slavers or mercs. But… if they are working with the Reapers, it could explain what happened to the other missing colonies.”

“But what about the bugs in the screen? The swarms?” Shepard asked Veetor. 

“The seeker swarms. No one can hide. The seekers find you. Freeze you. Then the monsters take you away.” 

“But they didn’t find Veetor…” 

“Probably because of his envirosuit.” Jacob finished.

“Unless these swarms are made specifically to recognize humans,” Miranda added. These swarms allowed the Collectors to move in and empty human colonies quickly, while leaving no trace.

“Whether the seekers are programmed for humans or any species, it is equally horrifying,” Shepard remarked. 

“We need to get this data to the Illusive Man. Grab the quarian and call the shuttle to come pick us up.” Shepard arched a brow at the woman’s authoritative tone.

The doors hissed opened and Tali walked through, “What? Veetor is injured! He needs treatment, not an interrogation!” 

“We won’t hurt him. We just need to see if he knows anything else. He’ll be returned unharmed.”

The three continued to argue, “Enough. We are not taking Veetor. I don’t trust you all enough not to harm the boy. Tali could you transfer the info from his omni-tool to me, so we can check it later?” 

“Of course, Shepard. I’m glad to see you are the one running this show.” Shepard could feel the sneer coming from Miranda.

She smiled at her friend, “Well, if you need me, Tali, I’m here for you.” 

Tali returned her smile, “I know, Shepard. If I find anything that can help you, I’ll let you know.” 

Shepard was once again standing in front of the Illusive Man, asking about her old crew.

He had given her a list of possible allies, but she didn’t want his list of people, she wanted her old crew. She wanted people she trusted. She asked about each one, but one name was perpetually flashing in her mind.

“Where’s Garrus Vakarian?” Shepard was proud of the even tone she used when mentioning his name. It was the same tone she used with every other name she asked. Inside, though, she wanted to wring the man’s neck and demand his location.

“The turian disappeared a few months after you were declared dead. Even we haven’t been able to locate him.” 

She knew a damn lie when she heard one, but she did not comment on it. She found it peculiar that he didn’t refer to any of the aliens by name, just by species.

“What is the second thing?” 

The Illusive Man took a pull from his cigarette, “I’ve found a pilot I think you might like. I hear he’s one of the best. Someone you can trust.” 

The screen went blank, leaving Shepard alone in the room, “Doubtful, ya creepy bastard.”

“He wasn’t lying I am one of the best.” Shepard turned to where the voice had come from. “Hey, Commander. Just like old times, huh?” 

“Holy shit on a shingle. Joker?” 

“The one and only, badass, handsome, smart-.”

 Shepard rolled her eyes, “Yeah, yeah brittle. Still can’t believe you are here.”

“Look who’s talking. I saw you get spaced, remember.” 

Shepard hmphed, “Got lucky, with a lot of strings attached. How’d you get here?” 

The lightheartedness from previous vanished from Joker’s voice, “It all fell apart without you, Commander. Everything you stirred up, the Council just wanted it gone.”

The two left the communications room and headed to the docking area. “Team was broken up, records sealed, and I was grounded.” 

Shepard frowned at his words. She knew it would have been hard for him not to fly again.

She asked about each of the crew, “With you gone, Liara left her position with the Alliance. Wrex returned to Tuchanka. Tali, with the geth info, was able to return to the Flotilla. Kaidan went back to Alliance. I don’t know what he is doing though. Garrus… Garrus took it a bit hard. He stayed around a bit, trying to keep the Council moving about the Reapers, but once the report of you being KIA was announced they started to shut it all down. He took your death, probably worse than the others.”

“What happened?” Shepard tried to keep her emotions out of the question. 

“He just… he got a bit angry when we told him. But I don’t know where he went after a while. He just left the Citadel and I never heard anything after. I don’t even know where he went or what ship he boarded. Just… poof.”

Shepard could only nod. She wanted to shake him and ask more questions, but she let it drop. 

Joker continued on when she said nothing else, “The Alliance took away the only thing that mattered to me. Hell, yeah I joined Cerberus.” 

“You really trust the Illusive Man?”

“I don’t trust anyone who makes more than I do. But they aren’t all bad. Saved your life. Let me fly-.” Joker paused as the window cover slid back, “And there’s this.” He crossed his arms as the lights in the bay came on, “They only told me last night.”

A sleek, polished vessel with the letters SR2 stamped on it, moved into the dock. “It’s good to be home, huh, Commander?” 

“I guess we’ll have to give her a name.” 

Joker beamed, “The only one she should have.”

Shortly after, the ship was branded with the name Normandy. The old girl was back and by the looks of her, better than ever. Shepard stood at the end of the bridge and surveyed the area. It was the Normandy, new and improved, but missing what really made her great.

Shepard sighed as she thought back to that day. Watching her crew die in front of her, throwing others into the pods, and her being spaced. She absentmindedly rubbed her throat as she recalled that part of the incident.

As she approached the CIC area of the ship, a blue holo projected itself from the galaxy map, “I am the Normandy’s artificial intelligence. The crew like to refer to me as EDI.” 

A corner of Shepard’s mouth slowly moved upwards, producing her usual smirk, “Helmsmen aren’t happy when someone takes control of a ship away from them. Especially Joker.”

“I do not helm the ship. Mr. Moreau’s talents will not go to waste. During combat, I operate electronic warfare and cyberwarfare suites. Beyond that, I cannot interface with the ship’s systems.” She responded matter-of-factly. 

“Mr. Moreau? Oh, this is going to be so awesome.”

She knew Joker would not be thrilled with an AI or being referred to as “Mr. Moreau.” Shepard proceeded to the cockpit, “Joker. How goes it?”

Joker rotated his pilot’s chair, “Can you believe this, Commander? It’s my baby, better than new! It fits me like a glove! And leather seats! The military may set the hardware standard, but on a first-gen frigate, they could care less if the seats breathe. Civilian sector comfort by design.” Joker rubbed his hands against the padded leather arms.

“The reproduction is not intended to be perfect, Mr. Moreau. Seamless improvements were made.” EDI stated. 

Joker rolled his eyes, “And there’s the downside. I liked the Normandy when she was beautiful and quiet. Now she’s got this thing… I don’t want to talk about. It’s like ship cancer.”

Shepard shook her head at him, “Sorry, Mr. Moreau. There is no cure for it.” 

Joker glared at EDI, “Not you too, Commander.” 

Shepard chuckled, “Just sit back and enjoy the pampering” 

“Ah, does it breach uniform regs if I get that on a crew shirt? Because this is my favorite, ‘You have no choice!’ choice ever.”

“Sure, I’ll go ahead and put in an order. But keep your pants on!” She shouted as she strode back to the galaxy map. 

“I make no promises, Commander!”

Shepard brought the map up and stared at the different locations available to her. Where to begin, where to begin? She brought the dossiers back up and decided to hit three birds with one stone.

“Looks like the first stop is Omega. Mordin…. Zaeed… Archangel? “Who is walking around calling themselves Archangel?” Shepard muttered as she plotted the course.

“Docking into Omega shortly, Commander,” Joker announced over the speakers. 

“Thanks, Joker. Jacob, Miranda, suit up.”

As they exited the ship doors, they were waylaid by a batarian and instructed or rather commanded to see someone named Aria in Afterlife. 

“Everyone is so nice. I can’t wait to be pen pals.” Shepard commented sarcastically.

EDI provided further information on Mordin and Archangel. Miranda was right; the place made you want to immediately shower after visiting. It was apparently a mostly lawless area. As she moved forward, she witnessed a man beating a batarian.

He looked familiar from the dossiers. “Zaeed Massani?” 

The man turned toward her. His face had scars in random areas, added proof of his veteran status as a mercenary. His eyes were two different colors and a noticeable blemish on the right side of his face that resembled a backward 3. Something to discuss later perhaps.

“Yeah. That’s me. You must be Commander Shepard. I hear we have a galaxy to save.” 

“Then you have heard correctly.” 

“I’m guessing you were told about the agreement I made.” 

“I swear to… No, I’ve heard of no agreement. What is going on?”

“Nothing big. Just stuff about a planet and a refinery.” 

“Okay. Just send the information to me and I’ll check it out when I get back. Welcome aboard.” 

The two shook hands and Shepard watched as he dealt with the batarian.

“At least you didn’t kill him.” 

“Course not. They paid the ‘keep him alive’ fee.” Zaeed winked. 

“Whatever you say. I’ll see ya back on the ship. Have a couple more recruits to find.”

Shepard entered Afterlife and thought back to the Citadel with Ashley and Kaidan. In a different system, on an entirely different planet, far from the Citadel and women were shaking their asses while men drooled over them.

Shepard chuckled a bit as she remembered their reactions, especially the disgust on Ashley’s face. 

“Everything okay, Commander?” Jacob asked.

“Yeah, just a memory." The joy slowly left her face, "Just a memory.” Shepard rolled her shoulders and made her way to the back where Aria and her guards were waiting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Don't be afraid to comment! Thank you to those for your support so far!


	10. Just Like Old Times

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mercs and Archangel. Why is it so dirty? Archangel... are we serious with that name? Shots fired! Yes, I know it is Cerberus, but you are here now. Walking into hell together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing. EA/Bioware own all.

Aria was an… interesting individual. Half the time Shepard wanted to smack her, but she was still interesting. _Only one rule. Don’t. Fuck. With. Aria_. Easy rule, if a bit egotistical. At least she was helpful in pointing them to where they needed to go.

However, for someone who thinks of herself as being Omega, she didn’t seem to know much about Archangel and Shepard had a sneaking suspicion there were things even the Queen of Omega didn’t know.

Shepard passed through the doors of the Blue Suns recruiter and caught the look before he even opened his mouth. What was it with these men thinking she was some tart?

Shepard withdrew her gun, “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.” A smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth, “But mine is probably bigger.”

After stopping some wet behind the ears kid, she left the recruiter in search of Archangel.

“That kid will thank me one day. The dummy.”

The team boarded the shuttle meant for the recruited freelancers. She questioned the driver a bit, but he too didn’t know that much about what was going on or the identity of Archangel.

They exited the shuttle and stepped away as it took off again. Shepard scanned the area, “Hey look, an area full of shit as far as the eye can see.” Jacob tried to hide his smile behind his fist, while Miranda nodded in agreement.

Having three rival gangs team up to go after this Archangel, was an apparent indication that they hated the person, but Shepard needed him to join her crew, so their anger would have to go elsewhere. As she made her way through the rooms of the gangs’ base, she discovered areas that she could sabotage to make things easier for Archangel and her team.

“Hurry up, Commander,” Miranda hissed. 

“And…. Done!” 

When the machine deployed, it wouldn’t be able to distinguish friend from foe and attack all in sight. Each gang leader added a bit more information about Archangel as well as their plan for attack.

However, Garm, the bloodpack leader, offered her the most information regarding Archangel. Garm had faced Archangel head to head, or rather gun to gun and referred to him as a brave turian. That described a lot of them, so not that helpful, but at least they knew the species.

As she crossed the opened area of the bridge, she felt a couple of rounds hit her, knocking her shields down. She quickly moved to cover and continued her sabotage plans by also knocking out the mechanic on the gunship and disrupting the work he had been doing.

“I’m knocking out people, hacking mechs, and just generally screwing up plans and the thanks I get… a shot to my ribcage. Bullshit on that.” Jacob laughed, while Miranda ignored it and ushered them to the bridge.

It was finally time to hop the barriers and rush the building where Archangel was residing. She had noted earlier that he was posted on the second floor. She waited for Bravo team to head out first before following behind them.

“Okay, time to show them how it’s done.” Shepard turned her rifle on the mercs and began taking them out as they ran to the building. 

“Shit! She’s with Archangel!” 

She ignored their shouts and sent more rounds through the mercs, as well as the ones that were already in the building.

Her team had finally made it inside the building and entered the second floor with their guns drawn. 

As Shepard arrived at the top room, she lowered her weapon, “Archangel?” 

The turian signaled for her to wait and took a final shot when the merc’s head poked out from behind the pillar.

Her voice had hit him square in the chest, but his mind repeated the same words, ‘She died. Couldn’t be her.’

Shepard watched as the turian raised himself from his position. He took his helmet off and settled himself upon the crates, positioning his gun between his legs.

When he knew his voice wouldn’t waver, he spoke, “Shepard. I thought you were dead.”

Shepard spread her arms as if to hug him, but she let them fall to her side, “Garrus! Jesus on a bicycle, it is you.”

She looked at him quizzically, “But… what are you doing here?” “

"You know. Just keeping my skills sharp. A little target practice. Disrupting plans. Starting fires. Driving the women wild. The usual.” Outward appearance showed him under control and nonchalant. But internally, he was raging.

Garrus needed to hug her; touch her until he knew she was real. The other side wanted to shake her and ask her where the hell she had been. How could she leave him and did she even understand how it had affected him? Shepard cocked her head, a gesture Garrus had seen a million times before from the old Shepard. His old Shepard.

“You okay?” 

Garrus released a sigh filled laugh, “Been better, but it sure is good to see a friendly face. Killing mercs is hard work. Especially on my own.”

His eyes glanced up to hers, and he could see the same penetrating stare she always had. Cat eyes that still felt like they could see what was inside him. See more than what he expressed.

Shepard saw the confident Garrus she had always known, but there was something under it. His eyes told her a different story than what his body language was displaying.

She saw a myriad of emotions, exhaustion, and excitement were most prevalent, but there was something else in his eyes that left her perplexed. For now, she would leave it alone.

She felt the urge to hug him and explain everything, but seeing as how time was short and the two Cerberus lackeys were with her, that would have to wait for another time.

She stretched her neck from side to side. “You nailed me good a couple of times, by the way.”

Garrus flared his mandible, producing the smirk she knew him for, “Concussive rounds only. No harm done. Didn’t want the mercs getting suspicious.”

Shepard returned his smirk, “Uh huh and my shooting them wouldn’t have given that away anyway.”

Garrus chuckled and pinned her with those piercing blue eyes; eyes she had missed, “If I wanted to do more than take your shields down, I’d have done it.”

He rolled his shoulders, “Besides, you were taking your sweet time. I needed to get you moving.”

Shepard crossed her arms and settled into her hip, “Always were so demanding. It’s okay; the big, bad turian doesn’t have to worry. His savior is here.” She spun her hand in a circle in front of her as she made a slight bow.

Garrus shook his head at her antics. It was his Shepard. “Still, it doesn’t explain what you are doing out here on Omega? I thought you were doing Spectre training?”

He shuffled his rifle around, “I got fed up with all the bureaucratic crap on the Citadel. Figured I could do more good on my own.”

He wasn’t technically lying. He did get tired of the bullshit. But it wasn’t the whole story. Parts he wasn’t sure he’d ever tell her about, at least not fully.

Not about the lonely nights in his apartment, staring at the holo picture he kept. The nightmares that he had finally gotten under control. The fact that it had taken him a while to accept her death. There were days… days that were a combination of rage, drunkenness, and one-night stands. One-night stands that-

“At least it’s not hard to find criminals here. All I have to do is point my gun and shoot.”

Shepard moved closer to him, “How’d you manage to piss off every major merc organization in the Terminus Systems? Quite the feat. I’m impressed.”

With her moving closer, Garrus would be able to register her unique scent, something that no one could fake and something he had missed.

But when he took a breath, he couldn’t smell anything except the stench of Omega on her, and that infuriated him. “It wasn’t easy. I _really_ had to work at it. I am amazed that they teamed up to fight me. They must really hate me.”

Shepard scratched her head, “The name… what is with the name? Since when did you start calling yourself Archangel?”

Garrus mandibles clicked, “It’s just a name the locals gave me. For all my good deeds. I don’t mind it, but please… it’s just ‘Garrus’ to you.”

A mischievous expression crossed Shepard’s face, “Well, I prefer raptor chicken… or overgrown turkey. Those are good ones.”

Garrus’ mandibles flared slightly at the old nicknames. 

“Well, we got here, but I don’t think getting out will be as easy. I’m guessing you have a plan?”

Garrus chuckled, “As a matter of fact I do, squishy.” 

Shepard’s face lit up as he used her old nickname.

The plan was essentially to keep taking everyone out till there was a gap that allowed them to escape through.

“As much as I enjoy shooting shit,” a few more shots rang out, “I’d also like to get off this dirty rock and shower.”

She heard Garrus’ deep chuckle over the comms, “It may take more than a quick shower to get this gunk off.”

Shepard shot a few more mercs, “Okay a few long, hot showers. Ohhhh…. Hot showers.”

Garrus could hear her moan through his earpiece; disrupting his shot. 

“You okay there, eagle eye. That was an easy one.”

“Hey. I haven’t been in a cushy ship. Some people do actual work. It’s exhausting.” He could hear her laugh come through, making a heat spread through his chest.

He hadn’t realized how much he had missed it. It wasn’t a high pitch giggle that many females had, and his ears appreciated that aspect. No, her laugh was a couple of octaves or so lower than other females. But at that moment… her laugh felt like a warm caress on his tiring muscles. Caresses that she had done before… before everything.

“Please, you wouldn’t know work if it hit you in your ugly face.” She felt a shot wiz by her, “Hey!” 

“What? My ugly face got in the way. Sorry.” He looked down his scope and saw her glaring at him. Just like the old days.

Garm had been dispatched, but as they regrouped more mercs began to rush the building. 

“Shit! We have to take them out.” Shepard and her team headed to the downstairs to stop the influx of mercs.

With Shepard and the team distracted, the gunship moved into place. “I thought I took care of that thing!” Garrus knew things could go bad quickly. However, his main fear was losing Shepard in a battle he had started.

She was again saving him and if something happened to her… “Archangel!” Tarak’s fury came through in that one word.

Garrus spun his rifle around, but the ship began firing upon him. “You think you can screw with the Blue Suns!”

Garrus could hear Shepard yelling downstairs as she fired through the group of mercs to get to him. No, Shepard. Stay there.

Garrus managed to get behind cover, blood dripping from different areas. “This ends now!” 

Garrus dove from his cover as a rocket hit the area.

Shepard had made it up the stairs to see him fall, “Garrus!” Shepard received no response from his unmoving form and caught the blood slowly building beneath him.

She darted between cover, firing at the ship, till she blew the window open, stunning Tarak. 

“Bastard!” she roared, the rage she had built up was finally released.

Her biotics surrounded her as she leapt from the ledge to the opened cockpit of the gunship.

She reached inside and began hammering into him till her fist went through his eye sockets. She pulled the pins on her grenades and dropped them into his lap.

Miranda and Jacob watched as Shepard launched herself from the ship back into the building. Her biotics crackling as the gunship exploded behind; fire covered debris rained down upon the mercs that were still in the area.

She rushed to Garrus, grabbing his armor, red and blue blood mixing. “Garrus! You better wake up or so help me, you stupid dinosaur.”

Garrus gasped, eyes flying open, and rolled over. He stared up at Shepard. His Shepard. 

“We’re getting you out of here, Garrus. Just hold on.”

She kept her eyes on him as she yelled out further instructions to her team, “Get Joker on the line. Make sure he is ready for us.”

She grabbed Garrus’ hand, “Stay with me, ugly. I swear I will bring you back and kill you again if you die on me.” 

His breath was getting shallower, and blood dripped from his mouth.

“Damn it! You stay with me. That is an order! I know your turian training won’t let you disobey an order.”

Garrus’ eyes began growing heavy; it was getting so hard to look up at her. His vision dimmed further; he heard her yell his name as he finally succumbed to the darkness.

The best people are working on him. We have cybernetics. They will make him better. Those words became her mantra as she paced outside the closed med bay window. No matter how many times she repeated it; it didn’t calm her down.

The yeoman, Kelly, strode up to her. “He will be okay. There is nothing you can do right now, why don’t we sit-.”

Shepard slowly rotated her head to the woman. Everyone could feel the fury radiating off her and darted from the area, “I am quite aware there is nothing I can do. I don’t want to sit and talk about my feelings. For someone who has a degree in psychology, you are pretty awful on social cues and body language. Now I would move along and try to shrink someone else’s head.”

“Commander I-.”

“Judging by the Commander’s rising temperature and increased blood pressure, it would be wise to move away from her,” EDI commented before disappearing.

“Roger.” Kelly hurried away, and Shepard turned her attention to the window once more.

She knew she shouldn’t treat the girl like that, but anger was ruling her now.

Shepard understood why she was on the ship, but she didn’t think that was the only reason. Something about her just sat wrong with Shepard, and she couldn’t put a finger on it.

A few moments later the doors opened, and Chakwas emerged. She turned to the older woman, “Doc…”

Chakwas saw the anger and fear in Shepard’s eyes, “He is stable. He needs to recover. You can go in for a moment, but after that, he needs to be left to my care.”

Shepard nodded and began walking past her, “He asked for you before he went under.” 

Shepard grabbed the doctor’s hand discreetly and squeezed it before heading into the room.

There were so many machines, so many different noises. She hated it. All of it. She moved to his side and looked down at him. His face was carefully wrapped, and he was covered, his armor sitting off to the side.

She studied the damage left behind by the rocket. Scorched patterns. Cracks. Pieces were missing from the top, leaving a fractured opening behind. The beautiful blue and silver that made up his armor were now marred.

Her eyes moved back to Garrus as she carefully gripped his hand. So much to say and yet nothing would come out.

“Shepard.” The whisper, barely audible to human ears, but she was new and improved.

“Garrus. I’m sorry.”

“Left… my fault…” She didn’t know what he was talking about.

She stood there for a few more moments.

“Commander.” Chakwas placed her hand on the woman’s shoulder.

“Thank you.” She released his hand and left the sterile, machine filled room.

The next day, Jacob and Shepard were in the comms room debriefing. “Commander. We’ve done what we could for Garrus, but he took a bad hit.”

Shepard dropped her eyes to the table, “The docs corrected with surgical procedures and some cybernetics. Best we can tell, he’ll have functionality, but…”

“Shepard.”

Shepard snapped her head to the sound of his voice, a smile forming on her face, “Tough son of a bitch. Didn’t think he’d be up yet.” Jacob commented.

Garrus sent Jacob a quick glance, “Well when Chakwas finds out she won’t be happy.”

He descended the steps, “Nobody would give me a mirror. How bad is it?”

Shepard crossed her arms and leaned against the table, “Hell, Garrus, you were always ugly. Slap some face-paint on there, and no one will even notice.”

“Ha-ah! Don’t make me laugh, damn it. My face is barely holding together as it is.” Garrus gingerly touched his mandible; moving a bit closer to her, “Some women find facial scars attractive. Mind you, most of those women are krogan…”

“Well, we can always drop you off on Tuchanka. You’ll be rolling in them.” The two laughed as Jacob saluted and left the room.

Once the doors closed behind Garrus, he dropped his head forward, “Frankly, I’m more worried about you. Cerberus, Shepard? You remember those sick experiments they were doing?”

Shepard pushed herself from the table and moved closer, slowly closing the gap between the two. “That’s why I’m glad you’re here, Garrus. If I’m walking into hell, I want someone I trust at my side.”

Garrus closed what was left of the gap, “You realize this plan has me walking into hell, too. Hah. Just like old times.”

As he took in his next breath, the scent, her scent, filled his airway. It sent a jolt through his system. A jolt that made him want to shove his face into her neck and take a deep breath. But it also assured that part of him that this was his Shepard. She was alive and standing before him after saving his life once again.

“I’m fit for duty whenever you need me, Shepard. I’ll settle in and see what I can do at the forward batteries.”

Shepard almost pressed her body into him as she looked up at him, “More calibrations I take it?”

Garrus tried to control his hands, but one decided to go rogue and move a stray hair from her face, “My work is never done.”

He could hear her heartbeat increase and watched as her pupils dilated. That other smell began to reach him.

He discovered that when it came to Shepard, it was more difficult to discern what her scents meant. He began to learn from her facial expressions, the tone of voice, or actions what each scent correlated to. But this one… this one was perplexing as he had nothing else to give him an indication of what it could mean.

Shepard stepped back from him, “I’m sure someone screwed things up down there. Take your 300lb turian behind down there.”

“You forgot sexy,” came his retort as he strutted out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Probably not as busy a chapter as some, but it is going to be picking up. I promise! And yes we are serious with the name. Nothing fits Garrus more than Archangel.


	11. A Merc with Standards

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mordin. A raptor chicken is not human. It was my fault. Shameless flirt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing. Ever. EA/Bioware own all.

Shepard, Jacob, and Zaeed disembarked the Normandy to find the salarian scientist, Mordin. Shepard sent the two ahead to scope out the situation, while she made a quick visit to a nearby shop.

“This looks good. Box it up and drop it off at the Normandy. Keep it in my name.” The storekeeper nodded and began to place the items back into its’ box. She hurried to meet up with the team outside the apartment complex.

Garrus stood in the battery room staring at the console. Shepard was still on Omega trying to recruit some salarian and he was stuck on the ship waiting for her to come back.

He had tried to focus on his work, but each time his mind went back to the meeting before she left the ship. He wanted to join her. He didn’t trust the Cerberus lackey and the merc being alone with her. He told her as much before she had left.

“ _I don’t like the idea of you going alone with those two. I don’t trust them.”_

He noticed how she shivered slightly as he whispered those words against her ear. The movement was so slight that another person might have missed it.

_"I know that. But the virus affects non-humans. Last I checked, you are a raptor chicken.”_

Garrus couldn’t stop the words that had left his mouth after her statement, “ _Are you sure? Maybe you should do an inspection.”_

It caught him off guard initially, but her action and his response were more surprising. “ _I would, but I don’t have the time to inspect… every… corner.”_

She had slid a finger down his undamaged mandible slowly as she spoke the last three words. He felt a shiver run down his spine, the quick jerk of his mandible the only indication her touch had affected him.

He stood slightly stunned, but he noted the confusion on her face when he used Commander instead of Shepard. He wasn’t angry with her. His brain had stopped functioning.

His primal side wanted to pull her to him, but his turian training, and more so their friendship, trumped it. He was finding that that side of him was coming to the surface more often around Shepard.

They were friends. Right? He wanted to analyze the situation, but Joker came over the speakers in the battery.

“Hey Garrus. Can you get the package at the door?”

“Yeah.”

As Garrus reached the door, he saw a large box with Shepard’s name on it. No wonder Joker had asked him to get it. He lifted it up easily and carried it to the elevator.

The box was so large, he wondered what was in it. The temptation to take a peek was eating at him as his mind pondered what could be in the hefty box. He arrived at her deck and walked into her cabin.

Her scent hit him the moment he walked past the doors. He placed the box on the floor and inhaled deeply. After all this time, he had not forgotten that smell.

One underlying scent that stood out to him reminded him of the Earth spice, cinnamon, but there was more to it than that. It was a mix of aromas that he never smelled on another. A combination he could only place as belonging to her.

Working on the Citadel had allowed him to experience different scents and sprayed fragrances. Fruity, floral, chemical, foul, and combinations. Hers…. Hers didn’t match any of that.

He finally collected himself and moved the box to the side, so she wouldn’t trip over it. His eyes moved from the empty fish tank to the display of model ships over her desk.

His gaze drifted down to her desk, catching the message present on her terminal. He debated reading it, but after a couple of minutes, gave in. It was from someone on Omega.

_Commander Shepard. Your item is ready as requested. Please stop by to inspect it and we will deliver it to the Normandy. We hope your companion finds the piece acceptable. Thank you for your business_.

Garrus stepped away from the terminal. For who? What piece? Is that where the box came from? She made no mention of it to him. Garrus shook his head and proceeded back to the battery. 

Aria was right. Once you got the salarian talking, he didn’t shut up. But it was entertaining, and he had a lot of useful things to say.

Garrus was waiting for her as everyone filed out of the briefing room.

“Hey, Garrus. What’s up?”

Garrus made no move towards her, “A package came for you. I put it in your room”

“Thank you. It was closed right?”

Garrus nodded.

“Good. If you will excuse me, I have something to take care of.”

Garrus moved out of her way and watched her leave. He wasn’t happy with what was going on. Had she met someone during the time he thought her dead? What if she had become interested in Jacob or Zaeed?

He saw the looks the two had given her. That and Zaeed wasn’t exactly subtle in his actions. He didn’t believe it to be Jacob. He knew she still didn’t trust the man and she kept him at arm’s length. Zaeed was a possibility though. He returned to the battery room, hoping some calibrations would distract him.

Shepard rushed to her room and tore open the box. She pulled out each piece and inspected them once more. Shepard had chosen a silver-blue color armor with blue lights located in the upper half and along its arms.

She thought back to his old armor, which brought her musings to an immediate halt. What if he didn’t want new armor? What if he wanted to keep his old armor? Had she stepped over a boundary amongst turians? She sighed. Too late to go back now.

After she had arranged it, she hid it under a blanket on her bed. She went to her terminal, “Hey, Garrus?”

“Need me for something?”

“Can you come up to my cabin for a second, I need you to check something for me.”

“Oh, what ya checking and can I see.” Joker cut in.

“Joker get off my channel.”

“I was feeling lonely.”

“Don’t care. Off.”

“Fine. I’ll just sit up here. Alone. As usual.”

“I am available to engage in conversation, Mr. Moreau.” EDI chimed in.

She heard Joker’s groan and a click indicating he left the channel, “Garrus?”

“Roger, Commander. I’ll be up.” Commander? Again?

Garrus reached her door, and she opened it for him. He looked around her room and spotted the now empty box.

“What did you need?”

“I bought something for someone, and I wanted to know if you could check it over to make sure everything is okay. I want it to be perfect for him." She caught the quick clench of his fists.

“I’m sure it is fine.”

He turned to leave the room, “Garrus? Please?”

He wanted to walk out, but her asking the way she did made him turn back to her.

“Fine.”

She clapped her hands, “Awesome, now come over here.”

He stood next to her bed. She grabbed the sheet and pulled it back. Garrus, stunned, unclenched his fists. The armor was polished and unmarred.

 “Shepard?”

The Commander title was gone once more.

He could tell she was nervous, “I bought this for you. I saw your old armor and thought you deserved a new set. I didn’t cross any lines, did I? Do you like it?”

Garrus glanced down at the armor once more, running his hand across it. It was amazing, and he knew it was expensive. He suddenly felt shameful about how he had treated her because he thought…

He stood back up to face her, “Shepard… you shouldn’t have.”

He heard her gasp. “I’m sorry, Garrus. I should have asked you.”

She rubbed her forehead. Garrus felt the urge to smack himself.

“No, Shepard. You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s just… I know the armor was expensive. You didn’t have to spend so much on me.”

She removed her hand and looked up at him, a smile slowing forming on her face, “Well, I know we are a rag tag crew, but I can’t have my best guy wearing rags.”

Best guy. That alone made him smile.

“Would you like to try it on? I can leave-.”

Garrus began to undo his armor, “No need.”

She watched as he stripped in front of her. It was just armor, but for some reason, she was enjoying it.

Garrus saw how her eyes followed every move he made to remove his armor. He decided to purposely go slow during certain moments, till he was finally in nothing more than his undersuit. She gave him the same up and down look she had done a few times before.

“Shepard. My eyes are up here,” He teased. Her eyes shifted away; a blush slowly creeping up her neck.

He picked up each piece of armor and snapped them into place. The armor fit remarkable well. It was solid, but light.

“So, how does it look?” Shepard looked back at him and did an inspection, “It looks great. Does it fit well?”

Garrus did a few moves in it, “Yeah. Really well.”

Shepard settled into her hip, “Good.”

He closed the distance and grabbed her hand, “Thank you, Shepard. You didn’t have to do this, but I appreciate it.”

She squeezed his hand and smiled, “You are most welcome, Garrus. Don’t fuck this set up.”

Garrus pressed his lip plates to her hand, “I’ll try to avoid it. But I make no promises. Someone has to save your ass. Besides, I hear women love men with scars.”

His eyes locked with hers, “Yeah, and most are krogan as I recall. I’ll let you know if I run into any other species that would appreciate them.”

He pulled her a bit closer, “Please do.”

He released her hand, “Have a good night… and thank you, Shepard.”

Her legs gave out, and she fell upon the bed when the doors closed behind him.

Shepard had checked a few planets for resources to upgrade different ship components and her squad. She made her rounds and stopped in the battery.

“Hey, Garrus.”

He was working on the console, “Need me for something?”

“Just checking in, see if you wanted to talk. Oh, and we are heading to some planet that Zaeed told me he wanted to check out.”

Garrus closed the doors behind her. “Look at you, being nice to the old merc.”

“What can I say, my friendliness knows no bounds.”

“Riiiiight. So, what’s up.”

Shepard took a seat on some cargo boxes. “So, were you like a one-man army on Omega?” She meant it in a joking manner, but the look that crossed his face stomped out whatever mirth she would have had.

Garrus turned from the console and faced her, “No. I had a squad. But… I got them killed.”

Shepard stared dumbfounded. How could Garrus get his entire squad killed? “What did your squad do?”

“You saw Omega – it was full of thugs kicking the helpless. I formed my team to kick back.”

He began to pace, “We weren’t mercenaries. At least, nobody was paying us.”

“So, how did you fund yourselves?”

“We made money by taking down slavers, pirates, or gangs that went too far.”

She raised her brow at him, “We weren’t some gang like them. We didn’t do shake downs. No civilian casualties. That was our rule. Every member of my team had lost someone to Omega’s gangs. We weren’t out to get rich.”

Garrus rolled his shoulders, “We were out to make those bastards think twice before murdering someone in the street.”

Shepard chuckled, “Doesn’t sound like you and the gangs were buddies.”

Garrus shrugged, “I got three separate merc bands to work together to take me down. My manager at C-Sec would be impressed.”

As Garrus regaled her with some of the stories of his squad, he knew he would have to tell her what happened. She seemed to take his vigilante justice in stride. He expected her to scold him a bit and yet she just nodded and accepted what he had said.

“So, where does the loss of your gang come into play?” 

Garrus sighed, “After the Citadel, I didn’t think I could help. I knew of Omega and the criminals it contained. There was also no red tape that I had to deal with like my days at C-Sec.”

He paused for a second before continuing. The next bit always made him angry when he thought about it, “My squad was killed because one of my members betrayed me.”

Garrus glanced over at Shepard, she sat quietly, waiting for him to continue. His pacing increased, and he watched as Shepard moved to the front of the console.

“A turian named Sidonis. He drew me away just before the mercs attacked my squad, then disappeared.”

He stopped in front of her, “Everyone except me is dead because of him. And because I didn’t see it coming.”

He hung his head; guilt once more washing over him, “It’s my fault.”

He watched as she settled into her hip and raised his head to see her head tilted to one side, “What happened exactly?”

“He asked for my help on some job. Once I reached the meeting point, I knew I had been set up.”

He clenched his fists, “By the time I got back… it was too late. Most of the squad was gone, and the two that were alive when I arrived didn’t last much longer.”

“Are you sure he had a role in the death of your crew?”

Garrus nodded, “I checked with some contacts and confirmed he had booked transport, cleared his accounts, and left Omega before my crew was attacked.”

“Do you know where he is?”

“His trail goes cold after Omega. I’m still looking. My team is gone except for Sidonis. But… I will find him… and correct that.”

Garrus stood in front of Shepard once more, waiting for her reaction. She reached up to the undamaged side of his face, “You find him, and we will take care of this. I’ll be here if you need me.”

Garrus gripped her wrist and found himself pressing the side of his face into her hand. Her hand was warm… and soft.

Garrus released her hand and stepped back, “Thanks for coming by, Shepard. I, uh got some things to take care of.”

“Yeah, yeah calibrations. I get it.” She waved as she left his room.

Shepard plotted the course to the planet that Zaeed mentioned and made her way down to where he was currently residing. Shepard leaned against the table in the room he had setup for himself. Why he chose the place where the garbage compactor was located was beyond her.

She had taken note of the surveillance camera monitor setup on the table to the entrance. As long as it wasn’t setup in her room and the showers, she wasn’t too concerned. Hell, Cerberus was already doing that, but she had gotten rid of the devices they left in her room.

She also knew the merc was interested in her, not like he was trying to be sneaky about it. She had caught the looks he sent her way, like the one he sent her when she entered. He wasn’t bad looking by any means. The armor he wore fit him well, adhering to his muscles and outlining his body nicely. Shepard was sure there probably wasn't an ounce of fat on him. The scars he sported enhanced his features more than they detracted. She was sure other women may not be attracted to that sort of thing, but to each their own.

“So, want to tell me about Zorya?”

Zaeed folded his arms over his broad chest, “What do ya wanna know?”

“Well, like why we are going.”

“The people that are working at that refinery are being used as slaves by the Blue Suns. I don’t condone the slavery. I may be a merc, but I do have standards. Of sorts.”

He winked at her, and she chuckled in response. “Hard to believe. A merc with standards.”

Zaeed shrugged, “Not all of us are out to destroy and pillage.” The two discussed the operation and a bit about his background.

Garrus had hacked the camera setup in Zaeed’s room and watched the two. Thoughts of what happened between her and Kaidan filled his mind. She was out of earshot of anyone, and he would not let something happen to her while she was in that room.

The merc, as Garrus found out, wasn’t afraid to voice his thoughts. He was pretty clear on his feelings toward Shepard and whether she realized it or believed it to be more than a joke to him was unknown to Garrus. She had been slowly trusting the old merc, at least faster than the two Cerberus operatives.

Although she didn’t trust Cerberus, it didn’t mean she acted rudely to the crew. She did her daily rounds as she did on the old Normandy. Her behavior, for the most part, was similar to the old Normandy. However, Garrus got the impression that she wasn’t getting too close to those on board, at least for now.

As Shepard and Garrus found out later, those on the ship weren’t some crazed xenophobes hoping to rid the galaxy of all life except humans. Some served in the Alliance or as security or police forces. Some were colonists who wanted to leave the Terminus systems and joining gave them the money and ability to move themselves and families away.

He watched Shepard step to a rifle that sat on a table near the merc. He pushed from the wall and joined her at the table, running a hand along the weapon. The two joked some more, and Shepard lifted the rifle, saying something to Zaeed. He had a cocky grin on his face, and he put his arm around her, pulling her against him. A low, rumble traveled through Garrus’ chest and he rushed down to the merc’s room.

He entered only to find Shepard lightly pushing him away and Zaeed laughing as he put the gun back down onto the table.

Shepard’s head turned to him, a smile on her face, “Hey Garrus. Did you need something?”

Garrus’ eyes shifted from Shepard to Zaeed, who was once again leaning against the wall, his cocky grin gone, replaced by a knowing smirk. “No… I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

Shepard watched him leave, “That was odd.”

She heard a faint chuckle come from Zaeed, “What?”

“Nothing, hero.”

He shook his head at the two. He was older than both, which gave him a bit more experience and wisdom in life. He could see what was going on even if the other two couldn’t or wouldn’t.

“Just realizing that life won’t be that boring on this ship o’ yours.”

“If you say so.” He saw confusion enter her face once more, “Hero?”

“Yeah. Ya did save the Citadel an’ all. Now we’re on some goddamn suicide mission to save a bunch of ungrateful shits. We’ll all be goddamn heroes.”

“And what a tragedy that will be for you.” Shepard teased.

“Gonna ruin my reputation. Well… maybe not with the ladies.”

“I’m sure they’ll be throwing themselves at you.”

“You don’t have ta wait, Shepard. You can throw yourself at me now. Maybe I’ll teach ya a thing or two.”

He watched as she threw her head back, laughter overtaking her. “Holy shit, Zaeed.” She wiped tears from her eyes, “What am I going to do with you?”

“I can name a few things.”

“You, my good man, are a shameless flirt. Just try not to break too many hearts on the ship.” She winked at him before leaving his room.

He knew Shepard had no interest in an old merc like him and he knew no amount of flirting would change her mind. Maybe if he had met her before there could have been something, but that time was gone.

No, if he was a betting man, which he was, she was set on someone else. Someone who hadn’t figured his shit out yet. But at least he did find another way to entertain himself while living in his metal home.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope this picked up a bit more than the last chapter and I hoped you enjoyed it!


	12. Long Time to Hold a Grudge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damn it, Zaeed. Definitely Shepard's business. Interruptions because story. Krogans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All owned by Bioware/EA. I own nothing. Sorry for the long break. Family visiting and packing for a move!

Zaeed, Shepard, and Garrus stepped out of the shuttle onto the planet that Zaeed mentioned.

“I’m going to tap into the Blue Suns communications. Stay tight, and look out for ambushes.”

Almost immediately after switching over a voice came through the team’s headsets, “Squad Bravo, a shuttle landed near your location. Check it out.”

“Well, damn,” Shepard muttered.

“So much for the element of surprise,” Garrus commented dryly.

As the team pushed on, they discovered dead bodies left by Vido. “Shot in the back. Typical Vido.”

Zaeed sounded disgusted, which was weird to Shepard as he was a merc too, but if he was disgusted by it, then he might be a bit different from the average merc she encountered.

They had finally reached the bridge to the refinery. After hearing the communication and Zaeed’s added comments, Shepard knew there was more to the story.

“I’m beginning to think you and Vido have a history.”

Zaeed stepped back from the railing, “I knew he was a sadistic bastard back when we started the Blue Suns. The Suns only got meaner after he staged his little coup twenty years ago. So, yeah. We have a past.”

Shepard rested against the railing, crossing her arms and glaring at the merc, “And you didn’t think to tell me all this before we jaunted off on this little adventure? I mean twenty years is a long time to hold a grudge.”

Shepard saw the rage enter his face immediately.

“A grudge? You really think that is all this is?”

Shepard noticed Garrus’ approach and gave him a signal to stop. Garrus scowled at Vido, but stepped back and leaned against the railing.

“Vido turned my men against me. He paid six of them to restrain me while he put a gun to my head and pulled the trigger. I’ve seen that bastards face every time I closed my eyes for twenty damn years. I saw it in every target. Every gunshot.”

Zaeed stepped back once more, “Don’t you call that a goddamned ‘grudge’.”

Shepard raised her hands, “Okay. Didn’t mean to get the kitten all riled up. But still. You failed to also mention that you started the Blue Suns. Seriously?” Shepard shoved him in anger.

“Because that was twenty years ago, and I didn’t think it was that important, plus I didn’t think you would help if you knew. Oh, and it was none of your fucking business.”

Shepard stood toe to toe with the old merc, “You ask me to come out here to help _you_ on some mission, and you don’t think that kind of information is _my_ business. Fuck you, Zaeed. You do not endanger me, and you especially do not endanger my crew because so help me if something happens I will make your death long and torturous. Do you understand me?”

Garrus heard the vehemence laced words and the controlled, at least for the moment, anger come from Shepard. Something he had never witnessed before and while it was an action that many would be frightened of, and from the smell of Zaeed there was fear there, Garrus only felt excited. She reminded him of a turian in her ferocity.

Zaeed put his hands up in surrender, “Okay, okay. Holy hell.”

Meeting Vido didn’t go as planned, thanks to a particular mercenary. Shepard's controlled anger slipped, and she struck Zaeed, “Are you kidding me? Did you not listen to a damn word I said? You’re endangering lives – and the mission – for your own selfish revenge. Damn it.”

“You really want to do this, Shepard?” Zaeed clenched his fists. Garrus waited. If he made a move or harmed Shepard in any way…

“I should knock you the hell out, but thanks to you there is a burning refinery that we have to save.”

Zaeed’s hand slashed through the air, “Let these people burn! Vido dies, whatever the cost!”

Shepard knew she couldn’t keep arguing and motioned the team to move out. It wasn’t long before they came upon a refinery worker, “Help. Please. We are trapped. The place is going to blow unless we can shut the valves off.”

Shepard's eyes shifted to Zaeed, “No time. Vido’s probably halfway to the shuttle docks by now.”

“You are willing to watch these people die because of your revenge?”

The two faced off once more, “Damn right I am. We stop to help these people, and Vido gets away. And if he gets away, I’m blaming you.”

“Well, better start blaming tough guy because we are saving these people. If you hadn’t fucked the place up, we could have gotten him. So, blame your stupid revenge.” Shepard didn’t bother to listen to anything else and raced to get the refinery under control.

The team rushed and were able to stabilize the refinery, but watched Vido’s ship began its lift off. Vido’s voice spoke through the comms, “Not this time, Zaeed, you son of a bitch!”

The ship’s blast blew Shepard off balance, and she watched as Zaeed released his anger upon the ship. He must have hit the pilot because the ship began to fly down into the mountains. Zaeed ejected his heatsink and turned his gun on Shepard who had her weapon aimed at him too. Unbeknownst to either, the heatsink landed in a trail of flammable liquid. Garrus sat back with his sniper rifle pointed at Zaeed’s head. If he thought for even a second that the man was going to pull the trigger, he wouldn’t hesitate to take him out.

“You just cost me twenty years of my life!” Before Shepard could respond, the platform exploded, and a steel beam fell upon Zaeed.

“Son of a bitch!” He groaned.

“You okay?” Shepard questioned.

“Why the hell do you care? Now help me out of this.”

Shepard bent down, propping herself on a knee, so the two were eye to eye, “Why the hell should I trust you? How do I know you’ll be there if I need you? You just put your revenge ahead of the mission, the safety of my crew, and the safety of innocent factory workers.”

Zaeed kept the eye contact, but found her penetrating stare more intimidating than he would have admitted, “I’ll do what I was goddamn paid to do, Shepard.”

He looked at the beam then back to her, “Just don’t expect any more than that. Now stop screwing around!”

He watched her stand and for a brief moment feared she was going to leave him to die where his revenge had failed. “You put your own goals; your own wants ahead of the mission. That is not how I work.”

Zaeed dropped his head, “I’ve… I’ve survived this long by watching my own back without having to worry about anyone else. Just me. Only me. For the past twenty years.”

He heard the familiar sound of a weapon being unholstered. He tilted his head back to find Shepard targeting his forehead. He had contemplated the possibility of going down this route, but he stared in awe as she turned the gun around, “You’re part of a team now, Zaeed. Unless we are working together, this shit ain’t happening.”

Zaeed couldn’t understand or believe this woman. She should have left him to rot for his behavior, for what he had said and done, but she stood there wanting to keep his old ass on her crew. He dropped his head once more out of shame.

“You… you have a point.”

He watched as Shepard moved the beam and helped him to his feet, “I’m not done with Vido, but… but I can wait till your mission is done and go back to killing him.”

He saw her smile and reach out to shake his hand, “Good. I’ll need some crotchety old bastard to use as a shield when I’m killing Collectors.”

A faint smile pulled at the corners of his mouth, “Whatever you say ya tosser.”

“If you two are done, can we get the hell off this planet?” Garrus stood with his arms crossed, giving Zaeed a quick sneer before Shepard turned towards him.

The ship was on its way to find a krogan by the name of Okeer. Due to the distance, it allowed for everyone to get downtime before facing a few more missions. Shepard sat in the port observation room with a drink and watched as the stars flew past the window. She heard the doors open, and familiar footsteps enter the room. Garrus strode over to the bar and poured himself a drink before joining Shepard. The two said nothing for a while, sipping their cocktails and watching the cosmos.

“So, Zaeed.” 

“Yeah. Crazy bastard.” Shepard finished off her drink before getting up to grab another one.

“Are you two okay?” Garrus asked, but he found he didn’t really care if they were or not.

“Yeah.”

“Would you have really done what you told him? You know, about the torturous death and all.” He turned his head and watched as she swirled her drink, staring into the cup as she did so.

“If something would have happened to you…” She turned her head and locked eyes with him, “I would have done it without a second thought.” He scanned her face and realized she meant it.

“Wow. Not something I expected from Ms. ‘My friendliness knows no bounds.’” Garrus joked, but she didn’t smile.

She returned her attention to the window once more. “Garrus you mean a lot to me.”

She scooted closer to lay her head on him, “You are my best friend, and I don’t want to lose you. I lost you once, my stupid fault, but I don’t want that to happen again if I can prevent it.”

Garrus grabbed her chin and turned her head up towards him. She saw the anger in his eyes, but something… something she couldn’t name.

“Don’t blame yourself for what happened. I should have never left you. I chose Spectre training over being with you.” He growled, the vibration moving from his chest into Shepard.

“Garrus. I don’t blame you for choosing Spectre training. I know it was what you wanted. You shouldn’t be blaming yourself.”

Shepard found she was moving closer to him. Or was he moving closer to her? She felt the urge to feel his mouth against her own. She tore her eyes from his mouth to his penetrating blue stare. His eyes seemed to urge her forward.

“Garrus…” His name was barely a whisper, but Garrus heard it. His subharmonics released a sound Shepard couldn’t interpret.

“I wan-.”

“Commander.” The two jumped apart like teenagers who had been caught doing something they shouldn’t.

“What Miranda?” Shepard stared up at the speaker.

“Could you come to my office, some information has come through that I need to discuss with you.”

Shepard sighed, “Yeah, be there in a second.”

She stood, “Thanks for talking to me Garrus.” She hoped her voice didn’t betray the storm she was feeling inside.

“Anytime, Shepard. Let me know how it goes.” He saluted her with his drink and listened to the doors open and close as she left.

Garrus tossed his drink back, shaking his head as it slowly burned down his throat. What just happened? He laid his head back on the couch. She was so close. Then it hit him. That same smell that he couldn’t place was still in the room. He took a deep breath, and his body once again responded as it had done the previous times he had smelled it. It wasn’t a fear smell. Then again, he couldn’t recall a time… the gunship. The gunship was when he smelled something different from Shepard. Why hadn’t he noticed?

“Well, a rocket to the face will do that.” He spoke out loud, answering his question.

The smell then… it was different from this scent. The same scent he had been witness to on other occasions. The gym incident came up immediately. It had been the strongest then. But was that because of excitement from the fight or… arousal. Spirits. Was he really thinking this right now? Was his best friend… the one who had saved him on numerous occasions. The one who had seen him almost stark naked. Stripped him out of his armor to deal with wounds. The one who had slept in the same bed as him. Was she interested in him? Spirits, he knew so little about humans, so little about their interactions, what certain things meant. Turians were much easier. Hell, even asari were easier, but humans. A complexity that he never felt like figuring out. However, now he wished he had because if he did something wrong he could risk the best friendship he had ever had. He wanted to ask someone about all this, but his options were limited in that aspect. Joker would make things worse, but at least he wouldn’t say anything. Maybe. Jacob had shown an interest in her, so that might make things a bit difficult. Zaeed, while he appeared interested, he didn’t seem like he would go out of his way to do anything. Mordin. Yeah, that was a no. He wasn’t that fond or trusting of Miranda, so he didn’t want to go that route either. This was going to be something he had to think out and not jump into. He stared at the ceiling and reviewed what had transpired once more. He continued to replay the moment she whispered his name. It sent a heat through his body. A heat he hadn’t felt in… well, he couldn’t remember. But was she telling him to stop? To continue?

“Why are humans so damn complicated.”

“We aren’t. You turians just aren’t sharp enough to figure our awesomeness out.”

“Joker, I’m going to release your extranet searches.”

“Hey, don’t need to go that far. Geez, party pooper.”

The team had set out to search for a krogan by the name of Okeer, but entered a shit storm. Zaeed, Garrus, and Shepard came upon an injured merc.

“Shit. Shit! It won’t stop bleeding… I’m gonna… son of a bitch!”

Garrus glanced at Shepard, “It doesn’t look that bad.”

“Well, he doesn’t have to know that.” Shepard winked at him before approaching the injured merc.

“I knew it wasn’t berserkers. Not at range. You’re mercs. Or Alliance. I’m not… I’m not telling you anything.”

Shepard shook her head, “Such a shame, huh boys?” She glanced back at her team, “I had this medi-gel all ready to go, but since you’d rather walk away…”

“Son of a… Okay. I just, I don’t know anything. I just shoot the overflow from the labs. The old krogan up there, he’s really been cleaning house lately. Jedore hired him to make her an army, but what he creates… we use them for target practice. Screw this though. They don’t pay me enough to bleed out.”

Shepard listened to him explain the ongoings of the outpost.

“Conventional weapons have to be cheaper than a setup like that.” Garrus commented.

A voice came over the merc’s radio wanting an update, “Get rid of your friends.” The merc nodded and later limped away.

“So overdramatic.” Shepard rolled her eyes at his antics.

The group had come upon one of the krogans that Okeer had created. Okeer was creating full grown krogan, but would discard the defective ones.

“I heard the voice. Not like now, with ears. Inside. I called it ‘father.’ It liked that. But it was disappointed. I am not what it needs to be.”

Shepard felt empathy for the krogan. He wasn’t deemed perfect. Wasn’t what Okeer had wanted, so he was kicked out and left to fight Jedore and her crazy mercs.

“Can you show me where the lab is? I need to speak with Okeer.”

The krogan removed the large metal panel blocking the path, “You could have run or tried to fight your way back to the labs. Why stay here?”

“I am waiting. The voice told me. If they come, I fight. But I will not run, and I will not follow.”

The krogan began walking away from Shepard, “I am not perfect, but I have purpose. I must wait until called. Released.”

Shepard didn’t want to ask what that meant, but she had an idea. The team began heading to the lab,

“You come in and manage to tame a krogan who has done nothing but kill everyone he sees.” Garrus bumped her.

“What can I say. I am a friend to all.”

“Or you’re just crazy,” Zaeed added.

“There is that too.

“Why is it our missions always involve so many complexities? Can’t just drop in and say, hey join me.”

More gunfire flew past the squad as they hid behind cover while dealing with Jedore. Garrus took a couple more mercs down and dropped behind cover again, “They say sure let’s go save the world. All done in a few minutes. But nooooo.”

Shepard and Zaeed kept working on Jedore. “Because if everything were that easy, you would be bored.” Shepard teased.

After clearing out Jedore and her mercs, Shepard raced back to Okeer’s office when the contamination warning started blaring. “Shit. Okeer!”

She heard Okeer’s recording, “You gave me time, Shepard. If I knew why the Collectors wanted humans, I would tell you.”

She continued to listen as she stared at the krogan in the tank.

“Why would someone so fanatical sacrifice himself for one krogan?” Garrus questioned as he too stared at the tank.

“Okeer wanted a perfect, or rather a “pure” krogan. It was, what I presume, his life’s work and he achieved it. But he either had to save his masterpiece or himself and possibly never again achieve what is in that tank. He was an old krogan and saw the future of his people in his masterpiece, so he willingly gave his life for his people’s future.” Garrus and Zaeed both raised a brow after hearing her explanation.

She saw them staring, “It’s just a thought. Let’s take Okeer’s legacy back with us.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I will be posting more shortly.


	13. In Harm's Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where does all that liquid go? Grunt you adorable turtle. Jack you crazy bitch. Garrus doesn't appreciate Shepard's nonsense. Why you so frustrating!?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EA/Bioware own all. I own nothing. Enjoy the chapter and let me know what you think!

Shepard stood in the cargo hold studying the tank that held the “pure” krogan. She had kicked everyone out as they didn’t know what to expect when she opened it. Her gun was at the ready just in case.

She took a deep breath, “I’m opening it. Stand ready EDI.”

“Roger, Commander.”

She approached the tank and inputted the code to release him. The krogan tumbled forward, coughing up the liquid from his tank before standing to his full height. Shepard observed him as his eyes focused on her and made no move to avoid him as he rushed her; pinning her to the wall with his arm against her throat.

“Human. Female. Before you die, I need a name,” The krogan demanded.

“I’m Commander Shepard, and I don’t take threats lightly, I suggest you _relax_.”

“Not your name. Mine. I am trained. I know things, but the tank… Okeer couldn’t implant connection. His words are hollow.”

There was a short pause before the krogan began to speak, “Warlord, legacy, grunt… grunt. ‘Grunt’ was among the last. It has no meaning. It’ll do.”

The newly named krogan turned his attention back to Shepard, “I am Grunt. If you are worthy of your command, prove your strength and try to destroy me.”

She moved her head a bit, “You wouldn’t prefer Okeer? Or Legacy?”

Grunt shook his head, “It’s short. Matches the training in my blood. The other words are big things I don’t feel. Maybe they fit your mouth better.”

She listened as Grunt continued with his explanation and after a few minutes was able to respond, “I have a good ship and a strong crew, a strong clan. You’d make it stronger.”

“If you’re weak and choose weak enemies, I’ll have to kill you.”

She chuckled despite the position she was in, “Our enemies are worthy. No doubt about that.”

The facial expression that appeared on Grunt’s face was what Shepard could only describe as an attempt at a smirk, “Hmm. Hmph! That’s… acceptable. I’ll fight for you.”

She returned his smirk, “I’m glad you saw reason.” Shepard emphasized her point by twisting the gun into his armor.

“Hmm?” Grunt glanced down to see the gun aimed at his chest. Shepard felt his rumbling laugh, “Ha! Offer one hand, but arm the other. Wise, Shepard. If I find a clan, if I find what I… I want, I will be honored to eventually pit them against you.”

Shepard sat at the table of an empty mess deck, moving her food around with no intention of finishing it. Garrus exited the battery and took the open seat next to her, “Shepard.”

“Hey, Garrus.”

“Everything okay?”

Shepard blew the stray hair from her face, “Yeah. Just a lot going on.”

She stopped pushing her food around and dropped the fork on her plate. “Anything you want to talk about?”

She glanced at him, “I let the krogan out.”

Garrus turned his upper body to her, “You did what?”

“His name is Grunt. Was an… interesting meeting. If you can call it that.”

“What?” Garrus heard and understood what she said, but was in disbelief that she had let the creature out. They had no information on it, and it was a krogan, likely a krogan more powerful than others of his species. However, that wasn’t the primary reason for his internal anger and frustration.

“Well, there was the being pinned against a wall by a krogan who threatened to kill me. Then agreeing to join my crew and then later pitting his clan against my crew to see who wins.” Shepard chuckled, but quickly stopped when she saw the expression on Garrus’ face.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were going to let him out? Do you have any idea what he could have done?”

“Yeah, I know what he could have done. I’ve fought with and against enough krogan to realize what they are capable of, but I didn’t want anyone else to get injured or cause him to feel threatened to the point he did try to kill me and everyone else.”

Garrus grasped Shepard’s arm, “You can’t risk yourself like this, Shepard.”

“I wasn’t risking anything.”

He pulled her slightly closer, “How do you know? Anything could have happened.”

“I understand that, but nothing did happen. I’m fine.”

Garrus began growling, “You are what holds this crew together, Shepard. You can’t keep endangering yourself like this. If you… if you die, everything will fall apart again. Everyone will be upset and alone. I’ll be alone again. Just… Stop.”

Garrus realized he had been gripping her arm, probably a bit too tight, but knew she wouldn’t tell him. He released her and excused himself from the table, leaving a flustered Shepard behind. His words played over and over in her mind as she left the mess deck and went up to her cabin.

Garrus stood in the battery room, his arms holding either side of the console. He was relieved nothing had happened to her, but she had left him out of it and put herself in danger. And that was the crux of the matter. The real reason for his anger and frustration. She didn’t come to him for help or to talk to him about her plan. She stood in harms way without him. Again. Images of what the krogan could have done flashed in his mind. Memories of her death and his nightmares joined and swirled around in his mind. He squeezed his eyes shut as he struggled to push those thoughts from his mind. 

“Garrus, you there? Hey!” Joker’s voice came through his omni-tool, pulling him from his thoughts.

“Yeah. Sorry, calibrations.” He inwardly groaned at his lame excuse.

“Dude, you need a hobby or something. Anyway, the Commander wanted me to let you and the new krogan to get ready. We are heading out to some floating prison.”

“Roger, Joker.” Garrus exited the call and moved away from the console to stand in front of the table holding his rifle. Maybe prepping for the next mission would help clear his mind. He hoped.

Shepard was waiting for her team to join her at the shuttle to fetch, what the dossier referred to as, The Convict. Garrus arrived first. He gave a curt nod, but said nothing. Shepard sighed and walked up to him. “Garrus.”

He watched as she shuffled her feet, “Yes, Commander.”

Damn it. There was the Commander crap again. “Look. I’m… I’m sorry. I know something bad could have happened, but I would have been more upset if something happened to one of my crew.”

She turned her head upwards, “Especially you. I know it was risky and I’m sorry. I will do my best not to do something like that again.”

Garrus watched her for a second more before grabbing her chin and bringing her face closer to his, “I’m sorry too. Just… let me know next time you decide to release some wild krogan.” He could hear Grunt heading towards them and ran his talon along her lip before releasing her.

“So, are we going to kill stuff or what?” Grunt questioned as he checked his gear once more.

She stepped back from Garrus, “Probably.”

“More like we will because nothing is ever simple when Shepard is involved.” Garrus winked at her. If Grunt could, she was sure he would be jumping up and down like a child getting ice cream.

The crew disembarked at the prison facility. Shepard felt the hair on her neck stand on end, “I don’t like this.”

Garrus and Grunt nodded in agreement. First impressions weren’t great either. If this turian, Warden Kuril, thought she was going to give up her weapons he must have lost his damn mind. “Well, my standard operating procedures require me to keep my gun.”

The two stared each other down, till the Warden gave in. “Let them proceed. Our facility is more than secure enough to handle three armed guests.”

“I doubt that,” Garrus muttered.

“We’re bringing Jack out of cryo. As soon as the funds clear, you can be on your way. If you’ll follow me to Outprocessing for the pickup, Commander.”

The team followed a few paces behind the Warden. “Does anyone else feel like something is off with this and that Warden?” She whispered.

“Yeah. I don’t like the look of him or this facility.”

“Something smells wrong with this place.” Grunt added.

The Warden began explaining the facility as they continued, “I’ve blown a few out the airlocks as an example.”

“What about funding? Maintaining a population this size in space can’t be cheap.”

The Warden’s smile was… disconcerting. “We can cut corners that governments can’t. And each prisoner brings in a fee from his homeworld. These individuals are violent, and their home planets pay well to keep them here.”

“What happens if the homeworld doesn’t want to pay?”

“We explain that we can’t maintain the prisoner without their help, so we’ll be forced to release him back onto his homeworld.”

He paused, his disconcerting smile present once more, “At an unspecified place and time.”

“So, it’s an extortion racket,” Garrus added. Seemed liked he was on the same train of thought as she was about the place.

The Warden left them to continue to Outprocessing, and the crew passed a guard beating an inmate. “These kind of tactics… the inmate will say anything to make it stop.” Garrus frowned at the picture before them.

Shepard shook her head and moved next to the guard to stop it. “Let’s keep going so we can get out of here.”

“I don’t like that Warden.”

Shepard stopped to face Garrus, “You said that before, so why?”

“Did you see his face?” Shepard nodded, “He had no markings. Guess who else had no markings.”

“Saren.”

“Bingo. I don’t trust turians who do away with such traditions. It is odd, and it usually isn’t good.”

“That smile of his was offputting too. Everyone stay sharp.” Shepard motioned for them to continue down the pathway.

When she entered the Outprocessing room, the technician pointed her to the door in the back. The doors opened, and the Warden’s voice came through the speakers, “My apologies, Shepard. You’re more valuable as a prisoner than a customer.”

“Of course, this couldn’t go smoothly.”

“Drop your weapons and proceed into this open cell. You will not be harmed.”

“Like hell I will.” She laughed as she unholstered her rifle. She could hear Grunt yell with excitement and Garrus ready his rifle as well.

They fought through to the cryo console and released Jack. As the machine opened, a small tattooed woman was in the chair.

Garrus’ brow plate rose, “That’s Jack?”

“I was expecting something… bigger.” Grunt snorted.

Three mechs surrounded Jack as Shepard, and her team watched as Jack charged the mechs, destroying them in the process.

“We have to get down there!” Garrus shouted.

“Yeah, I want to see how far the little thing can go.” Grunt was… giddy was the best way Shepard could describe it.

As they moved through the ship, they could see the path Jack had taken. Bodies and mechs were strewn everywhere. The Warden refused to give up and allow the group to leave, so Shepard was left with no choice, but to kill him. After handling the Warden, they were able to meet up with Jack. Whose first move was to snarl at Shepard, “What the hell do you want?”

“Uh, I just saved your ass last I checked.”

Jack’s expression turned cocky, “He was already dead. He just didn’t know it. Now, what the hell do you want?”

“You’re in a bad situation, and I’m going to get you out of here,” Shepard replied.

“Shit, you sound like a pussy.” Shepard rolled her eyes at the tattooed woman.

Jack continued to pace, “I’m not going anywhere with you. You’re Cerberus.”

“And that matters why?” “They have been on my ass for years. Anytime I get free; they put a huge bounty on me. That’s why Warden Kuril figured he’d struck gold when he caught me. It isn’t working out too well for him.”

Shepard pinched the bridge of her nose, “Look… I’m offering to be your friend or whatever you think of it as. Either way, you don’t want to be my enemy.”

“They have a way of dying,” Garrus added as he and Grunt moved forward to stand next to Shepard.

“You show up in a Cerberus frigate to take me away somewhere. You think I’m stupid?”

“Well, this ship is going down in flames. I’m offering to get you to safety and asking for your help, but you are refusing so…. Yes, yes I do.”

Garrus couldn’t resist, “We could knock her out and take her.”

Jack glared at him, “I’d like to see you try.”

Grunt stepped forward, “I’ll do it.”

“Easy you two.”

“Good move.”

“I’m doing it for your safety, so calm your tits.”

This got a smirk out of the mad woman, “Look, you want me to come with you, make it worth my while.”

“Of course. If you join, I’ll do what I can.” The woman smirked once more, “To an extent.”

The two worked out an agreement before moving forward.

“So, why are we standing here?”

Shepard began walking past her, “Cause you won’t shut up.” Grunt and Garrus laughed as they followed her.

Shepard sat in the lounge area of the ship, staring out the window. Garrus followed her scent to the room, grabbed a dextro bottle of liquor and sat next to her.

“So, Jack is…”

“Batshit crazy? Yeah.”

Garrus looked over to see her chugging down some human concoction. He knew she didn’t drink that often, so he was curious as to why she was now.

“So, a drinking kind of night, huh?”

Shepard looked down at the drink, then to Garrus, “Yeah. These past few missions have been taxing. I didn’t feel like going to beat up the heavy bag; there is no one to… relieve my stress with, so alcohol it is. Stuff isn’t bad. Can’t even taste the alcohol, which is usually the problem for me. I hate the taste of the alcohol.”

He saw her grimace at the mention of it. Garrus was bothered, but relieved at her mention of alleviating stress with other people. As far as he was concerned, no one on this ship was worthy of her. You could offer. One voice suggested. But Shepard has never shown interest in relationships with aliens. Another countered. Who said anything about a relationship? This is just some stress relief. Blowing off some steam. Remember that one turian.

Garrus closed the door on the combat going on in his mind. “Sorry Shepard. I feel your pain though.”

Shepard peeked at him from the corner of her eye, “About the liquor, missions, or stress relief.”

Garrus took another swig of his drink, “The last two.”

Garrus stared at her laughing figure, “What?”

“Shit, Garrus, there are plenty of women on the ship that want you. With the scar, we can try Tuchanka. Or head to the Citadel or even Palaven and get you hooked up with some nice turian girl.”

“I could say the same about you. Except Earth instead of the other two. Besides I have no real interest in the women on this ship.” He heard her release a sigh and became slightly confused to the reason for it.

“No need to invest that much time. Maybe the next time we have a break. But you haven’t been able to be with anyone because of me.” He watched as she finished her drink and moved towards the bar to grab another before returning to her seat.

“It isn’t your fault, Shepard.” He followed her previous actions and returned with another bottle for himself.

“I chose to join you. Besides, it isn’t like I’ve been celibate since meeting you.”

Shepard wiggled her eyebrows, “Oh, guess those turian women just couldn’t resist.”

Garrus puffed his chest out a bit, “Of course not. I’m 300lbs of solid, sexy turian. No one can resist all of this.”

Shepard slapped her leg as she erupted into a fit of laughter. He waited till she recovered from her outburst, wiping the tears from her eyes.

“Ya know, I’ve always been curious how other species have sex.” Garrus could have sworn he was blushing under his armor. Spirits don’t make me explain this.

“Not so much how it works, but like the intricacies of it. I’ll have to look that up later.”

EDI’s hollow came up, “Would you like me to schedule that reminder, Commander?”

“Uggg, no EDI. Just ignore our conversation.” “I have been, but Mr. Moreau has requested to keep the line open.”

“EDI! Shepard, I didn’t- I mean, I wouldn’t uh… Shit.”

“Joker, if you don’t turn this line off I will send Grunt to remove you from your seat and be his new plaything.”

“Roger, Commander. Stupid ship cancer.” Joker grumbled as he shut off the comms. The two shook their heads and utilized the opportunity to change the topic of conversation.

“So, then the captain comes out, covered in the stuff. I swear the look on everyone’s face. He looked like the aftermath of a princess party or something, glitter, and stuff everywhere. No one spoke up, so we ended up cleaning up every piece. ‘If it fucking glitters I want it gone!’ Then some chuckled head was like, ‘What about the stuff on your uniform, Sir?’ Apparently, the kid was dead serious.”

Garrus’ deep, rumbling laugh filled the room, “I couldn’t imagine that happening on a turian ship.”

“Oh, the antics. It helps keep morale up though, even if you are stuck cleaning it up.”

Shepard stood to stretch and fell back onto the couch. “Uh you okay, Shepard.”

She was giggling, “You… you ever have… the stuff hit you… why is the room spinning.”

She attempted to stand and struggled to find her footing. Garrus stood and grabbed her waist. “Thaaaaanks buddy.”

She was smiling at him, clearly a bit more than tipsy. “Come on, Shepard. I’ll help you get to your room.”

“Yeahhhh, bed sounds awesome.” As they rode the elevator up, she had wrapped herself around him, fitting into the sharp edges of his body.

“Mmmmm, warm.”

He stepped off the elevator and helped her move to her bed. He sat her down on it and began turning the lights off as she removed her combat boots. He turned to watch her stretch out upon her bed. She opened her eyes and smiled at him.

“Okay, Shepard. Have a good night.”

“Ya know….” She yawned, “It’s too bad you aren’t interested in anyone on board.”

Garrus took a step towards her, “Why?” He saw her eyelids flutter closed, “Why, Shepard?”

“Why… why what?” She mumbled.

“Why should I be interested?” He could hear her breathing leveling out, and he knew sleep was upon her.

“Cause… I know I…” And she was out. Garrus wanted to shake her to wake her back up and make her finish that sentence. He groaned in frustration as he left her room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed it and the story so far. Don't be afraid to comment.


	14. Never With Shepard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Horizon. Kaidan. Physical harm is always an option. The poor heavy bag. You want some juice?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own and claim nothing. EA/Bioware do. Smut, smut, smut. Did I say smut?

Almost immediately upon changing into her ship clothing, Shepard was heading to the briefing room to meet with the Illusive Man.

“Shepard, I think we have them! Horizon – one of our colonies in the Terminus Systems – just went silent.” The Illusive Man took a long drag from his cigarette. “If it isn’t under attack, it soon will be. Has Mordin delivered the countermeasure for the seeker swarms?”

Shepard shook her head, “Not yet.”

The two spoke a bit longer regarding Horizon and Shepard had a sneaking suspicion that the Illusive Man was once again leaving out something vital. Shepard stared at the galaxy map, pondering the upcoming mission. Her mind returning to the fact that Kaidan was already at Horizon. It didn’t make much sense for him to be there. What reason could the Alliance have to send him out that far? She didn’t like how this was going, and the meeting was probably going to be worse.

“Grunt, Garrus, gear up. Joker get us to Horizon.”

“Roger, Commander.”

Her team waited near the shuttle till they got within range to launch.

“What is going on, Shepard?” Garrus knew this wasn’t a regular mission. Something was amiss, her tone and tensed body language confirmed his suspicions.

“The Illusive Man says that Horizon has gone silent. That the Collectors have or probably are going to hit the station.”

“Damn.”

“Exactly. And… Kaidan is there too.” Shepard strived for nonchalance, but Garrus wasn’t buying it. He knew she probably thought it was going to go bad once they met him. And not just because she was working with Cerberus.

“Who’s Kaidan?” Grunt asked.

“An Alliance soldier from when we fought Saren.” Grunt accepted the simple explanation, oblivious to the tension in the atmosphere.

The shuttle landed, and the crew could see the swarms hovering above them. “Well, let’s see how this goes.” Mordin’s “in theory” explanation didn’t make Shepard feel that confident, but the swarms weren’t heading their way, so that was a positive thing, right? As they rounded the corner, they ran into the first set of Collectors.

“It looks like we caught them this time.” Shepard announced as her team took cover.

After dispatching the Collectors and making their way further in, the group came upon an intact, but dead husk. “Sort of looks human. This one of the colonists?” Grunt questioned as he sniffed at the creature.

“No. Previously, victims were turned into husks by impaling them on spikes. We haven’t seen any here. The Collectors probably brought these husks and took the colonists for something else.” Garrus answered.

Shepard inspected the creature more closely, “But, there is something different about these. These aren’t the same creatures I fought on Eden Prime. They’re more advanced. Evolved.”

“They still die when you shoot ‘em.” Grunt shrugged.

“Either way. The Collectors aren’t getting away with more victims. Let’s move out.”

“I am assuming direct control.” The Collector was burning in the air before falling back to its feet.

“Uh, what the hell just happened?” Shepard yelled.

“No idea, but that is one bad Collector. Crap!” Harbinger threw a blast at Garrus that neither he nor Shepard had ever seen. He was harder to take down compared to the others and to top it off if there were other Collectors he could switch bodies with them once the one he inhabited had died.

“Seriously? Body swapping? I hate these things so much.” Shepard shouted as she dove behind cover once more.

They kept moving through the area till they came upon a large door. After bypassing the security, the team entered a dark room.

Shepard heard movement, “Company.” The team halted and withdrew their weapons. “Get out here. Now!” Shepard commanded.

The man peeked out and slowly moved from his hiding spot. “Really.” The group holstered their weapons.

“You’re… you’re human! What are you doing out here? You’ll lead them right here!” The man was clearly stressed and scared.

“You had to hear them trying to get in. Seems like it’s hard to hide from the Collectors.”

“Those things are Collectors? You mean… they’re real? I thought they were just made up. You know – propaganda. To keep us in Alliance Space.”

Shepard looked at Garrus and shook her head, making him smirk.

Shepard and her team fought hard, but the Collectors, unfortunately, escaped with the colonists. The mechanic ran towards the team, screaming, “No! Don’t let them get away!”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t want it to end like this; I did what I could.”

“It was a good fight, Shepard.” Grunt assured her.

At the mentioning of her name, the man turned to face them, “Shepard? Wait. I know that name. Sure. I remember you. You’re some type of big Alliance hero.”

Garrus cocked his head at the man, “Some type?”

It was at that point a familiar face came around the boxes. “Commander Shepard. Captain of the Normandy. The first human Spectre. Savior of the Citadel. You’re in the presence of a legend, Delan.”

Kaidan turned towards Shepard, “And a ghost.”

Shit. Garrus cursed inwardly.

Kaidan moved closer to Shepard. “I thought you were dead, Commander. We all did.” Kaidan extended his hand, and Garrus felt like smacking it away from Shepard, but he watched as she gripped it,

“It’s been too long, Kaidan. How have you been?”

Kaidan’s face changed almost instantly after the brief handshake, “Is that all you have to say? You show up after two years and just act like nothing’s happened?”

Garrus released a low growl as Kaidan leaned into Shepard. Grunt nodded in reaction to Garrus’ disapproval of Kaidan’s actions. Both felt the urge to harm the male human physically.

“I would have followed you anywhere, Commander.” Kaidan finally moved away from her, “Thinking you were gone, was like losing a limb. Why didn’t you try to contact me? Why didn’t you let me know you were alive?”

Shepard was becoming frustrated, “Not my choice. I spent the last two years in some kind of coma, while Cerberus rebuilt me.”

Kaidan began backing away from Shepard, “You’re with Cerberus now. Garrus too. I can’t believe the reports were right.”

Garrus shook his head slightly. He figured Kaidan would give up on Shepard. Garrus wasn’t sure Kaidan was ever truly loyal to Shepard, not like he and the others were. Wait, reports? The words finally struck Garrus, “Reports? You mean you already knew.”

“Alliance intel thought Cerberus might be behind the missing human colonies. I got a tip this colony might be the next one to get hit. Anderson stonewalled me. But there were rumors that you weren’t dead. That you were working for the enemy.”

“Cerberus and I want the same thing. To save our colonies. That doesn’t mean I answer to them.”

Kaidan’s brow furrowed together as he moved towards Shepard once more, “Do you really believe that? Or is that just what Cerberus wants you to think? I wanted to believe the rumors that you were alive. But I never expected anything like this.”

He motioned his head to Grunt and Garrus, disgust clear upon his face. “You’ve turned your back on everything we stood for.”

Garrus’ began to flex his fists subconsciously as he watched Kaidan’s continued mistreatment of Shepard. And by the look and sound of Grunt’s growl, he wasn’t happy with the situation either.

“Kaidan you know me. You know I’d only do this for the right reasons. You saw it yourself. The Collectors are targeting human colonies. And they’re working with the Reapers.”

Kaidan shook his head, “I want to believe you Shepard, but I don’t trust Cerberus. They could be using the threat of a Reaper to manipulate you. What if they’re behind it? What if they’re working with the Collectors?”

Garrus couldn’t remain silent anymore, “Damn it, Kaidan. You’re so focused on Cerberus that you’re ignoring the real threat.”

“Are all humans this dumb or only this one?” Grunt asked, to no one in particular, which somehow made Garrus feel a bit better.

“You’re letting how you feel about their history get in the way of facts.”

“Maybe. Or maybe you feel like you owe Cerberus because they saved you. Maybe you’re the one not thinking straight. You’ve changed. But I still know where my loyalties lie.”

Garrus narrowed his eyes, “Yeah and it has never been with Shepard.”

Kaidan sneered at the comment, “I’m an Alliance soldier. Always will be. I’ve gotta report back to the Citadel. They can decide if they believe your story or not.”

Garrus could see Shepard’s anger finally reach the surface, “We both know how that is going to turn out. Alliance will try to blame Cerberus just like you did. You stand here and see these creatures. You see what they are capable of and you still deny it. Go back to your masters, Kaidan. I can hear them calling you already.”

Kaidan stopped to face Shepard, “A leopard can’t change its spots. Cerberus can’t be trusted. Goodbye, Shepard.”

“Joker – send the shuttle to pick us up. I’ve had enough of this shit hole.”

Garrus wanted to inflict serious bodily harm on Kaidan for what he had done, but that would have to wait for another time.

“I can still shoot him, Shepard.” Grunt offered, making her laugh.

“No, Grunt. Let’s just get back to the Normandy.”

Shepard stood in the workout room, glaring at the heavy bag. She wanted to beat it around, but was also exhausted, mentally and physically. So, the bag would have to settle for glaring. The doors opened, and Garrus stepped through. Of course, he would find her after everything that happened.

“I brought you this juice stuff. I know you like it.”

Shepard smiled, he was always thoughtful when it came to her, unlike some people. “Thanks, Garrus.”

Garrus leaned against the wall with her, “So, has the bag started glaring back yet?”

“No, but I think it is working up to it.”

“Well, that’s good. Give ya a little competition.”

Shepard slid down the wall, taking a drink as she went.

“Wanna talk about it?” 

“Did I do the right thing?”

“Regarding…”

“Joining Cerberus. Kaidan. Every mission ever. Pick one.” She ran her hand over her head and settling behind her neck as she stared up at him. She could almost see the wheels in his head spinning.

Garrus glanced down at her for a moment before returning his eyes to the heavy bag. “Well, you joined Cerberus to help the human colonies because it seems clear that the Alliance and the Council have no intention of helping or they would have done something. I know you aren’t a traitor and you would never do something unless there was a good reason. As for Kaidan, that boy is so die-hard Alliance he can’t see what is in front of him. He saw the Collectors attack his people and yet he is going to deny it. He was with us when we attacked Saren, saw Sovereign, and fought geth, but because the Alliance or the Council tell him something different he throws it away as if nothing happened. He willingly tossed away the time he was with you because some shmucks told him what he did, what we did, never happened. It is obvious that when it comes to Kaidan, he can’t think for himself, but wants to blame you for everything and say you are the one being manipulated.”

Shepard chuckled at his response, “Well, then. That is some honesty right there Garrus.”

Garrus tilted his head down, “Hey, you could have slept with him. Imagine how that would have gone.”

Shepard shuddered at the thought, “But you are right. He is confused and emotional. It is sad to see such a good soldier be so… I don’t know…”

“Stupid. Easily manipulated. Brainwashed.” Garrus offered.

She laughed again, “Sort of. I guess I should go get some stuff done and review those other dossiers I was sent.”

She held up her arms and Garrus pushed off the wall to help her up. He pulled a bit too hard, and she ended up in his arms. He watched as Shepard’s eyes moved to his mouth and back to his face and noticed the blush creep up her neck. He slowly released her to a standing position.

“Sorry. Sometimes I forget how strong I am compared to such a small, squishy thing like you.” Garrus chuckled nervously.

“I’m not that small, you overgrown turkey.”

“Well, compared to me you are.” He pulled her close once more, so she could appreciate the height difference between them. “I’ll let you get back to work.”

Shepard could only nod in reply. As she headed to the elevator, she turned to him, “Thanks, Garrus.”

He bowed his head as the doors closed. Garrus leaned against the wall. Something was becoming quite clear to him, and he wasn’t sure if he really liked it or not, mainly since it concerned his best friend. Something he had not wanted to face, but with Shepard now alive… ignoring the matter was becoming more of a problem than a solution.

Garrus left the showers and headed back to the battery. He enjoyed the late-night showers as no one was around and he could take his time. Walking back to his room with just a towel around his waist was a plus too. He learned early on that he should not leave in a towel during certain hours. The stares, whispers, and catcalls weren’t so bad, but the offers of… extracurricular activities were a bit much. He entered the battery and headed to the back where his rack was set up. He sat down upon it and leaned against the wall, thinking back to his conversation with Shepard. He caught the way her pupils had dilated when he pulled her close, and he heard her heartbeat speed up too. The blush that appeared upon her neck was a bit confusing as he didn’t see hear blush often. When she was overheated, or sunburned, or something similar he noticed the redness, but during that moment… Garrus’ hand slid down his face as he berated himself once more for not being more knowledgeable about human behavior.

The whooshing of the battery doors broke him from his thoughts. Who could- “Garrus?” It was Shepard.

“Uh, back here.” He stared at the towel wrapped around him and mentally slapped himself for not having clothing close by. Then again, he hadn’t expected her to come to the battery this late. Shepard made her way down the walkway and stopped a couple of steps away from him.

Her eyes shifted from the towel to his face, “I didn’t mean to disturb you. I can leave.”

“No, it’s fine. You aren’t disturbing me. Something wrong?”

Shepard stared at her feet as she collected her thoughts. Garrus took the opportunity to note her attire. Tank top and drawstring pants that were a bit large for her. It wasn't often he saw her in such attire. He couldn't remember the last time he saw her in something like that.

“I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Sure. What’s on your mind?”

“I… well I’ve been thinking about earlier. And…” Shepard ran a hand through her hair in frustration, suddenly finding it difficult to say what she wanted.

“Shepard?”

“I wanted to ask… damn it.”

“Shepard just say it.”

“I’m trying, but…”

“Say it.”

“Give me a second… I’m trying.”

“Speechless much?”

“Shut up.”

“Not till you say it. Just say it.”

“Fine! Garrus, will you have sex with me.”

Garrus eyes widened at the question, “Shepard?”

“I said it, so answer it.”

“I… uh…”

Shepard’s usual smirk appeared on her face, “Speechless much?”

“Yes.”

“Yes, you are speechless or-.”

“Yes, I’ll have sex with you.”

Garrus remained motionless as she moved towards him to slowly straddle him. “Good answer.” Her voice had changed, going down an octave and almost purring the words at him. Her hips moved against him as her mouth went to his jaw.

Suddenly his old nightmares appeared in the forefront of his mind, and he pulled her away from his jaw to examine her face. She stared at him in confusion, “Garrus? Did I do something wrong?”

Garrus waited for the change in her appearance and to hear her distorted voice, but it never came.

He shook his head, “No. No, Shepard, you didn’t. Sorry.”

She continued to stare at him, not entirely convinced by his words. He ran a talon against her lips, “I’m fine. Don’t stop what you were doing. I want to feel that sweet mouth of yours.”

“My pleasure.”

She returned to his jaw, her tongue slipping between her lips and running carefully against his damaged side. Her tongue was so soft against his scarred mandible, so different from a turian female, but he wouldn’t allow a turian to do what she was doing. It felt amazing and went straight to his core, his plates shifting in response. His hands moved to her hips, gripping them as she continued down his neck.

She ran her teeth along his throat, taking small nips here and there, making his talons tighten upon her. She hummed in approval at the action. She stopped at the juncture of his neck and shoulder and clamped her teeth down harder upon him. He dug his talons into her and growled deeply and more loudly than he had wanted. When she released her hold, he realized that his cock was now out from behind his plates.Shepard moved off his lap and freed herself from her pants before returning to him once more.

Garrus slid his hand between her thighs, “Wet already, Shepard?”

Her breathing came in shallow pants as he ran his talon in slow circles around her clit. “Yes.” The words finally pushed from between her lips.

“Tell me what you want.”

She lifted her head, her heavy-lidded gaze locking with his own, “Fuck me, Garrus.”

Garrus pushed the towel aside and lifted her, watching her face as he slowly lowered her upon his throbbing member. She was tight, so tight. Between her wetness and his body’s lubricant, it made it a bit easier, but he still had to wait after each push till she was adjusted before continuing.

Finally, she was straddling him once again and his cock was seated deep within her. She took over and began to move. Garrus dug his talons into her thighs, almost pulling them away after her sharp gasp, afraid he had hurt her, but she moved her hand from his shoulder to the one on her thigh, keeping it in place. He tried to focus on her face, on her voice, but he was getting lost in the feeling of her.

Her ability to form sentences was gone and she was mumbling things. Things he didn’t understand, or his translator could discern.

He caught his name though, “Garrus, please. Please, harder. I can’t…”

He didn’t wait for her to finish the sentenced before he took over. He wanted to do it initially, but was afraid that his primal side would take over and he would harm her. But she was moaning, begging him for more, and digging her nails into his skin. And he did as she asked moving harder and faster within her. It wasn’t long till he felt her walls sporadically contracting around his cock.

“Shit. Shepard.”

“Come inside me, Garrus.” Her walls clamped down around him and he surged forward, roaring her name as he released himself into her.

Garrus eyes snapped open and darted around the quiet and dimly lit battery room. He glanced down and saw the towel still wrapped around his waist. “Spirits…”

He had fallen asleep after his shower. His heartbeat began to settle and he switch positions to lay down upon the rack. He stared at the ceiling as the dream replayed in his mind. He felt his plates shift at the memory and his hand began to venture south. Couldn’t let a dream like that go to waste, now can I. He thought to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was exciting to write. I hope it wasn't too bad. Took a bit to get to some smut and I feel like I should have done something like this earlier, but I didn't want to go back and change things around.


	15. I'm an Awful Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An assassin and a justicar. Good times. Playing a distraction, Shepard does not appreciate that. I'll let you pass because that voice though! Smutty smut smut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, from here on out I own nothing. At all. Ever. It is all owned by EA/Bioware and not me.

Next on the list was an assassin and a justicar, both located on Illium. They went with the justicar first as she was about to kill many people due to her “code.” It took a bit of finesse, but Shepard was able to convince Samara to leave the work to her.

“Shepard, if you find the name of the ship my quarry left on, I will leave peaceably and help you on your mission. However, you have only 24 hours.”

Shepard raised her brow, “And then…”

“And then she will kill anyone in her way to find said quarry,” The security officer replied.

Shepard pinched the bridge of her nose, “Awesome. Just awesome.”

Samara joined the officer and sat meditating while Shepard and her team sought out this quarry of hers. Garrus and Grunt had joined her for the mission.

“So, we are looking for some manifest that has information about some person that this justicar has been hunting for years for some reason,” Garrus tossed over his shoulder as he checked over his rifle.

“Uh, yes. That is exactly what we are doing.”

“Who cares. I get to fight.” Grunt added.

“We can’t take that long, so don’t waste shots and keep it moving.” She signaled her team to form up and head out.

The manifest had been found, a killer taken care of, and a corrupt volus was handled. Shepard and the officer watched as Samara pledged herself to Shepard.

The officer stared in awe at the image in front of her, “I’ve never witnessed such a thing.”

Shepard eyes took in the once in a life time display, "Neither have I."

When Samara stood, Shepard held her hand out to her, “Welcome aboard, Samara.”

The justicar returned Shepard’s smile and handshake, “Thank you for your assistance and I am happy to be a part of this mission.”

“Make yourself comfortable. I have a couple of more errands to run and then we will head out. You have time to pick up anything you may need.”

“Thank you. I believe I have everything. I will see you on the ship.”

Shepard watched the justicar head to the Normandy before turning to her team, “Now that that is done. Time to find our assassin. Never met an assassin… one that I wanted to recruit and wasn’t trying to kill me. And a drell. I never met one before. Should be fun.”

Shepard appeared excited about meeting this new assassin, which bothered Garrus. Yeah because Shepard may become interested in him. No one asked you. Just admit it, you are jealous. Nothing to be jealous about. Oh no? You aren’t jealous at the thought of this assassin touching Shepard? Kissing her? Laying her naked-

“And… it looks like we get to meet an old buddy, Garrus.”

Garrus snapped out of his contemplations, once again shutting down his internal battle, “Who?”

“Nassana.” Garrus tapped his rifle, “I am all aflutter.”   
Grunt stared at them in confusion, “Who is Nassana?”

“A couple or so years ago, we met Nassana on the Citadel. She wanted us to save her sister.”

Garrus rolled his eyes, “Yeah. But the story was fabricated. The reality was that the sister was a pirate who Nassana needed gone because of the stigma it would leave on her reputation.”

“We ended up killing the sister, but Nassana was free and clear. Nothing we could do.” Shepard sighed as she remembered the exchange.

“She isn’t so free and clear now.” Grunt punched his hand in excitement.

The team was dropped off upon the lower part of the towers. Shepard glanced around the area, attempting to locate the assassin. However, if he indeed was the best in the galaxy, she wouldn’t find him if he didn’t want her to.

She unholstered her weapon, “Watch out for civilians.” Garrus and Grunt gave her a short nod before falling into place.

As they moved through the building, Garrus felt eyes upon them, and he didn’t like it. “Shepard do you-.”

She gave him a signal indicating she felt it too.

They had reached the deck where the asari was hiding. Shepard, Grunt, and Garrus entered the room.

Nassana stopped in her tracks, a look of fear and confusion had filled her face, “Shepard? But… you’re dead.” Garrus and Grunt trained their weapons on her guards.

“I got better.”

“And now you’re here to kill me.”

Shepard raised her eyebrow, “You really are paranoid, aren’t you?”

Nassana began pacing once more, “Don’t patronize me, Shepard.”

“Charming as ever.” Sarcasm dripped from Shepard’s words.

“I’m sure you find this all very ironic. First, you take care of my sister, and now you’re here for me.” Shepard rubbed her forehead in annoyance.

“Well, you made it this far. Now what?” Nassana queried scathingly.

“You really think I’m here to kill you?”

Nassana threw her hand up, “Do you have another reason for destroying my tower? Decimating my security?”

Shepard rolled her eyes at the woman, “I’m just looking for someone. Which isn’t you. And your people shot first.”

Garrus could hear something nearby. He glanced at Grunt who gave a low growl, indicating he had heard the same. Neither moved their weapons from the guards and Garrus turned his gaze swiftly back to his targets.

“You expect me to believe that? Is it credits? Is that what you want?” Nassana was becoming more agitated at Shepard’s denial. “Just tell me your price. We can make this problem go away.”

Shepard sunk back into her hip as she crossed her arms, “Make me an offer.”

Garrus caught the sly smirk now present on Shepard’s face. Judging by the smirk, Shepard had no intention of taking Nassana’s offer.

“Double whatever you’re getting. And I’ll pay double again if you tell me who hired you.” A nearby guard had disrupted the discussion before walking off to investigate a noise.

“Double? Well, that does sound like a nice offer, doesn’t it boys?” Grunt and Garrus bared a bit of teeth in response.

“I knew that would get your attention. Money can sway anyone. Including the great Commander Shepard.” An arrogant smile spread across Nassana’s face.

The crew watched as the drell deftly fell from the ceiling. Shepard shook her head and tsked at the asari, “Oh, Nassana….”

She narrowed her eyes at Shepard, “You… stay put.”

Thane moved swiftly and quietly. Snapping the neck of one guard and breaking the trachea of another, before firing upon the asari guard and finally shooting Nassana. It had happened in a manner of seconds. Garrus could smell a scent come from Shepard. The one he couldn’t place and another one. Leaving him utterly confused, but also angry. Shepard watched the assassin cradle her, his eyes closed, a look of regret on his face. He laid her down gently on the table, crossing her arms before he bowed his head as if in prayer. Shepard eyed the drell, while Grunt and Garrus kept their guns on Thane.

“I was wondering when you’d show up.” Thane made no response.

“I think you are being ignored, Shepard” Garrus jabbed.

Shepard moved towards the table, “I came a long way to talk to you.”   
“One moment. Prayers for the wicked must not be forsaken.”

Shepard cocked her head at Nassana, “Well, she was certainly wicked.”

Thane shook his head, “Not for her. For me.”

Shepard took note of Thane’s voice; deep, husky, and contained subharmonics similar to Garrus. Not a voice she would have thought him to have, but after seeing him in action and catching the darkness of his eyes, the voice fit him quite well. He finished his prayer and turned his attention to Shepard and her team.

“The measure of an individual can be difficult to discern by actions alone. Take you, for instance. All this destruction… chaos.” He rounded the table and moved closer to Shepard. “I was curious to see how far you’d go to find me.” Thane turned his head towards her, “Well, here I am.”

“How did you know I was coming at all?” Shepard asked.

He moved past her towards the door, “I didn’t. Not until you marched in the front door and started shooting.”

Garrus watched as Thane placed his hands behind his back, almost in a military pose, “Nassana had become paranoid. You saw the strength of her guard force. She believed one of her sisters would kill her. You were a valuable distraction.”

Garrus’ lower subharmonics broke through, which made Thane’s eyes shift in his direction. He used her. His Shepard was nothing more than a tool.

“You used me. So, you could kill her!” There was annoyance and confusion in Shepard’s voice.

“I needed a diversion, you needed to speak with me. You certainly fulfilled your end of the bargain. What would you like to discuss?”

Shepard’s eyes widened slightly at the rapid change in his demeanor and conversation. The conversation was serious but now… now it was acquaintances meeting one another for the first time. Simple how do you do? What brings you here, moment.

Shepard shook her head before returning her gaze to Thane, “Someone’s been abducting entire human colonies. We’re going to stop them. We already know the culprits – a race called the Collectors.”

“I’ve heard of them.” Thane turned back to face Shepard, “Attacking the Collectors would require passing through the Omega 4 Relay. No ship has ever returned from doing so.”

Shepard shrugged, “They told me it would be impossible to get to Ilos too.”

A small smile graced the drell’s face, “A fair point.” Shepard moved to stand near him as her team holstered their weapons. Thane gazed out the window, “You built a career on performing the impossible.” She watched as he closed his eyes, “This was to be my last job.” He tipped his head slightly down, “I’m dying.” He opened his eyes and stared out the window once more, “Low survival odds don’t concern me. The abduction of your colonists does.”

Garrus eyes followed Shepard as she moved closer to Thane, his fists tightening in response. “You’re dying? How long do you have?”

Thane looked towards her. He could see the genuine concern on her face, “If you’re interested, we can discuss it on your ship. The problem isn’t contagious, and it won’t affect my work.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

Thane smiled at her. She had just been told that he had used her to benefit himself. He didn’t expect her to show concern for his wellbeing or offer assistance to him. But here she stood, wanting to help.

“Giving me this opportunity is enough.” He dropped his head forward, “The universe is a dark place. I’m trying to make it brighter before I die.”

He rotated his body to fully face Shepard, “Many innocents died today. I wasn’t fast enough, and they suffered. I must atone for that.” Shepard extended her hand. “I will work for you Shepard. No charge.” He saw her smile return and found himself enjoying the way she smiled at him.

“Welcome aboard, Thane Krios. Glad to have you.”

Thane returned her smile, “Thank you as well, Commander.”

“Just no using me as a distraction… or bait.” Thane chuckled, “Understood, Commander.”

Thane entered the debriefing room to find Jacob and Shepard waiting for him.

“I’ve heard impressive stories, Krios. Sounds like you’ll be an asset to the team.”

Thane took his normal stance as Jacob turned to address Shepard.

“That is if you’re comfortable having an assassin watch your back.”

“I’ve accepted a contract. My arm is Shepard’s.”

“Uh-huh. Don’t know about you, but I’m loyal to more than my next paycheck.”

Thane observed Shepard as she turned her gaze towards Jacob, anger slowly filling those green eyes, “Obviously he is too. He’s doing this mission gratis. What’s your concern?”

Thane had caught the subtle changes in Shepard's body language and tone of voice, but Jacob, although a trained soldier, apparently lacked the ability. 

“I don’t like mercenaries. An assassin is just a precise mercenary.”

“An assassin is a weapon. A weapon doesn’t choose to kill. The one who wields it does.” Thane’s gaze shifted to Shepard, “Where shall I put my things? I’d prefer someplace dry, if anything is available.”

EDI’s holo appeared in the room, “The area near the life support plant on the crew deck tends to be slightly more arid than the rest of the ship.”

Thane gave a slight bow, “Ah, an AI? My thanks.”

“He seems quite civil,” EDI added before leaving the room.

Thane paused outside the door, “We need all the help we can get. I trust him, and if you stop being a dick for a moment, you may find out he isn’t a typical assassin.”

A smile crept on Thane’s lips as he traveled down the hallway.

Garrus found Shepard in the lounge once more. He took a seat next to her to stare out the window.

“So, we are going to have to hold off on the next couple of missions.” Garrus remained silent.

“Miranda, Jacob, and, oddly enough, Jack has approached me about some personal issues.”

Garrus tilted his head at her, “Hold on. The two Cerberus operatives and psycho extraordinaire have approached you for help? Personal help?”

Shepard dropped her head against the top of the sofa, “Yeah. Miranda is concerned about her sister. Jacob got an emergency transmission from his father, who by the way has been gone for the past ten years or something. And Jack wants to go blow up an old Cerberus base.”

Garrus turned his attention back to the window. “So, what are you going to do?” He had a feeling he knew the exact answer.

“Help them.” She heard him groan.

“Shepard…”

“I know, I know. My friendliness knows no bounds.”

“I’m beginning to believe it doesn’t.”

Shepard chuckled, “What can I say. It’s part of my Hero duties. You know, protect and serve.”

“That is C-Sec.”

“Right. You too can serve?”

“Alliance."

“Builds healthy bones.”

“Milk ad.”

“Well, shit. I’m an awful hero.”

The joking came to a halt when they heard the doors open.

Thane stepped through and paused in the doorway, “I apologize if I was interrupting. I can return later.”

Shepard stared at his upside-down figure, “Thane, my man. What’s up.”

“My man?” Thane and Garrus asked simultaneously.

“Human expression. Come on in; we were just trying to figure out what the motto was for heroes of the Citadel.”

Thane looked between the two before continuing his walk towards the couch. Shepard welcomed his appearance, but Garrus was not interested in his being there. Something to think upon at a later moment, Thane thought.

“Have a seat, buddy.” Shepard patted the spot next to her. “I keep an open door or lounge or mess deck policy.”

Garrus rose from his spot on the couch, “I’ll leave you two to chat. I have some work to attend to.”

Shepard turned her head towards him, “You sure?”

Garrus nodded.

“Okay. I’ll talk to you later.”

Garrus glanced at Thane and Shepard once more before he departed.

“So, Thane or would you rather I call you Krios?” Shepard asked as she kept her head on the back of the sofa.

“Thane is fine, thank you.”

She rolled her head towards him, “You are really polite for an assassin.”

Thane turned his dark gaze to her, “I am unsure if that is good or bad.”

Shepard grinned at him, “Well, most assassins I’ve met are rude, but they are also trying to kill me. Guess it means you aren’t trying to kill me. Always a good thing.”

Thane blinked both eyelids at her.

“Whoa.”

Thane tilted his head, “Is there a problem?”

“I didn’t know you had two sets of eyelids. I think it’s cool.”

“I see. All drell have them.”

“You, my good sir, are the first one I’ve met, so excuse my ill behavior.”

Thane shook his head, “You have not been rude to me, Shepard. I find your curiosity refreshing.”

Shepard sat up and turned her body towards him, “Really? Then… can you show me how you did that throat punch because man…”

A scent had reached Thane’s nose, and his perfect memory cataloged it.

“It was so cool. Just boom, done. And you’re so quiet. I must sound like an oaf walking around compared to you.”

Thane chuckled, “No, Shepard, you do not sound like an oaf. I do not think of you as a beast. In fact, it was fascinating to watch you and your team clear out that tower.”

She raised her brow at him.

“You worked in sync, which was surprising since you had a krogan. You moved swiftly towards your objective, but you also made time to stop and help those who were in need. Not something I expected honestly. The chaos you made was… beautiful in its own way. Not random destruction like a mercenary or gang.”

“Well… that was…”

Thane saw her struggle with a reply, “I apologize if I offended or embarrassed you.”

He watched as a smile spread across her face, “You didn’t. I just, I never heard anyone describe what I did in such a manner. I’ve heard bull in a china shop, but not beautiful chaos. I should get that tattooed somewhere.”

A corner of Thane’s mouth lifted in response.

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

Shepard finished drying her hair and tossed the towel back on its rack. She stared at her reflection and took in the flush cheeks and messy hair. It had been a long couple of days and the hot shower had felt amazing. She left the bathroom and headed towards her bed.

“Good evening, Shepard.”

“Holy hell!” Shepard jumped backward, her foot slipping on the step into her cabin. She braced for an impact that never came. She felt arms around her and her eyes opened to find dark orbs gazing down at her in concern.

“Are you all right, Shepard?”

“Yeah. Sorry.”

“You have no reason to be sorry. I frightened you and caused you to fall. My apologies, Commander.”

Shepard gave him a small smile, “Don’t worry about it. Thanks for catching me.”

He returned her smile as he stood her to her feet. He took a step back from her, returning to his usual stance. Shepard was suddenly aware of the limited clothing she had on, but Thane didn’t seem uncomfortable or concerned with it.

“Was there something I could help you with?” Shepard moved to her fish tank, pressing the button to release some food. She turned around and Thane was once more only a step or two from her.

“I have a question for you.”

“Well, ask away. I’ll answer it best I can.”

“Are you interested in me?”

“Um, what?” Her brain had short-circuited and that was the only thing she could respond with.

Thane took a step towards her, his sharp gaze never leaving her face, “When you watched me kill off Nassana and her crew and when we were in the lounge and you were describing my actions, I noticed a number of things about you that would indicate you have a sexual interest in me. So, do you, Shepard?”

He closed the distance between them, “Or am I mistaken?”

Shepard could feel his voice travel through her body and settle at the juncture between her thighs. Her eyes moved from his mouth to his eyes and back again. She caught the knowing smirk that graced his lips.

“I uh…”

She watched as his hand came from around his back and felt his fingers push a strand of hair behind her ear. That simple touch was electrifying and by the look on his face, he knew it had affected her. Damn observant assassin.

“You haven’t answered me, Shepard.”

He pressed himself against her, his arm moving around her waist, “Do you desire me?”

His mouth moved to the side of her face, running his lips down her throat and settling at the curve where her shoulder met her neck.

“Yes,” Shepard whispered.

Thane pulled away from her throat. Shepard’s tongue flitted out and ran across her lower lip. Thane tracked its movement and growled at the sight. In the next instance, Shepard found herself off the floor, her legs wrapped around Thane’s waist and his mouth crushed against her own. She moaned as he pressed his hips into her and was suddenly grateful for the lack of pajama bottoms.

Thane broke the kiss, “Tell me if you want me to stop. I will not force you to do something you do not want.”

Shepard didn’t hesitate, “Don’t stop, Thane.” Shepard felt his body vibrate with the deep rumbling growl that came from him. She moaned once more.

“I do hope you have no attachment to these undergarments.”

Shepard cocked her head, “No. Why?”

She heard the ripping of fabric and watched as the item fell to the ground. She found the sight of him destroying her clothing oddly arousing. She pressed her lips against his once more, her tongue diving into his mouth, running along the inside, feeling as his reached out to massage hers. She didn’t hear him release himself from his pants, but felt the head of his cock press against her entrance. She broke the kiss as the tip slipped inside, her breathing coming in short pants. He was thick, and Shepard was not used to the size. She heard his groan as he paused before pressing into her once more. It took a bit before he was fully seated inside of her. He waited for her signal to continue and Shepard moved her hips against him.

“Thane…”

“Yes?”

His thrusts were slow and deep, but not enough. “Harder, please.”

His dark eyes took in the nuances of her face as he sped up, slamming himself into her repeatedly. He could feel her inner muscles contracting around him and knew she was close.

“Oh, God. Thane. I’m gonna…” His name became a chant as she came.

Shepard bolted upright in her bed. Panting slightly, her heart racing. “Well, then.”

She fell back upon her bed, staring at the cosmos above her. “Damn assassin.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoooo. Dreams are something, aren't they? Hope you liked it!


	16. Never Planned on You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Venture to Illium. The Mess decks. The crashed ship. No one expects Command Shepard. Can't leave a mission without a gunfight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I do not believe I mentioned this previously, but I am telling most of the story from Garrus' pov. I will try to add a bit more of Shepard's as I go further. I know some were a bit confused regarding this aspect, so I will alter the writing a bit more. I will get into the more juicy parts of the relationship, but I want to make sure it works with the story. So, please bear with me as we venture further into this story. Also, please do not be afraid to comment.

The squad had returned to Illium once more for Miranda’s request. Shepard, Miranda, and Garrus met with her contact in the bar.

“You didn’t mention anything about Niket. Who is he?” Shepard questioned.

“He’s a friend. He and I go back a long way…”

Shepard didn’t like the explanation, but the contact broke back into the conversation before she could delve any farther into it.

“I’m ready when you are, Miranda.”

“Thank you, Shepard. I appreciate this. I hadn’t planned on Eclipse… but they never planned on you.”

Garrus bumped her with his elbow, “They never do.”

The team rode the elevator up to meet with Niket and this Enyala, “Are you sure about Niket? I’m getting a bad vibe from all of this.” Shepard watched the numbers rise as the elevator ascended the building.

“And usually those vibes are right.” Garrus checked his weapon one more time.

“I’m sure. Niket… Niket wouldn’t. I trust him. I’ve known him for a while.”

Garrus and Shepard shared a quick look. Garrus thought back to Kaidan’s behavior. Loyalty, for some, can change in an instance and Garrus felt that this was going to be one of those instances. Judging by the look Shepard sent him, she was thinking the same thing. Unfortunately, neither he nor Shepard would be able to talk Miranda out of this operation or convince her that things will more than likely turn bad.

“If you say so.” Shepard shook her head in resignation.

The elevator doors opened, and there stood what Shepard assumed to be Niket, a transport official, and what she presumed to be Enyala. “Great….” Miranda’s eyes widened as she moved past the group.

“Miri?” Niket looked on in disbelief.

“This should be fun.” Enyala jumped off the cargo box she had been sitting on and pulled her weapon from her back. The transport official began running away, but was shot down by Enyala. The team kept their weapons trained on the mercs and Niket.

“Niket. You sold me out.”

Shepard could hear the anger, but also the underlying pain coming from Miranda as she kept her eyes trained on her best friend.

“Your show, Miranda,” Shepard whispered to her.

“Why Niket? You were my friend. You helped me get away from my father.”

“Yes! Because you wanted to leave. That was your choice! But if I’d known that you’d stolen a baby--.”

Miranda cut him off, “I didn’t steal her! I rescued her!”

Shepard glanced at Garrus as Niket and Miranda continued to argue, “This isn’t going to go well.”

Garrus gave a quick nod, “Agreed. Can never leave a mission without a gunfight when you are involved.”

Shepard stopped Miranda from killing Niket, but it was in vain as Enyala took that moment to kill him herself. Enyala’s action sent Miranda into a rage. Using her biotics, Miranda flung Enyala across the facility, who stood back up and rushed the team. With Enyala dead, the team moved on to check on Miranda’s sister.

“I can’t believe Niket sold me out. I didn’t even see it coming.”

Shepard sighed, “You may have a lot of upgrades, but it doesn’t change the fact that you are human like the rest of us.” Garrus cleared his throat, “Except for the thunder chicken here.”

Miranda shook her head, “I let it get too personal. I screwed up. Why didn’t you let me kill him? I could have handled that. But watching him get gunned down by that asari bitch…”

Shepard rubbed her forehead, “You’re right. You let it get personal, which means you still care for him, even after he betrayed you. Like you said. He was your best and only real friend. The pain that you would carry after murdering your oldest and best friend…”

Miranda lifted her head, “You’re right.” She sighed, “My father knew all this and turned it on me. It is the same deal as when I lived with him. I could have what I wanted, but strings were attached. Niket was my weakness after I ran away.”

Shepard crossed her arms, “You can’t toss aside everything you care about just to be safe.”

Miranda finally smiled, “It’s okay, Shepard. My father hurt me, but he didn’t break me.”

The team stood back and watched Oriana with her family, “There she is. She’s safe… with her family.”

Shepard quickly peeked at Miranda, “Well, most of her family.”

Miranda turned her head towards Shepard, “She’s got her family. A life. The less she knows about me, the better.”

Shepard turned fully to Miranda, crossing her arms over her chest, “Stop being a bitch and go say hello. She’s your only family, and I’m sure she would like to meet her sister. You don’t have to give her the diatribe of your life.”

Miranda smiled at Shepard, “I guess not…”

“Go on; we’ll wait here.” Garrus and Shepard watched Miranda stride over to Oriana and her family.

“Do you think she’ll be okay?” Garrus asked.

He heard Shepard’s deep exhale, “Yeah. I think this meeting is going to help. She needs a family. Support. With Niket gone, she doesn’t really have anyone. I think her sister will be a good influence on her.”

Garrus heard more in those words, but he let it slide… for now. “Why did you stop her? Do you really think she would regret it? I don’t have a problem taking someone out who betrayed me.”

Shepard saw a look of anger flit across his face as he said it. Sidonis, she hazard. “She would regret it. I can guarantee that. She might not have at first. But once her anger had subsided, it would come rushing back with a vengeance. I couldn’t let her go through that. She could handle him being killed by another, but not by her own hand.”

“I don’t have that problem. Sidonis deserves what is coming to him.”

Shepard said nothing and that bothered him. He could see she wanted to say something, that she was thinking about voicing her thought, but in the end, said nothing to him. He knew he wouldn’t get anything from her now, so he changed the subject.

“Stop being a bitch. Interesting saying.”

“Yeah. Sometimes you have to be a little brazen with people.” He watched the previous look… of what he couldn’t say, but it went away.

“I’ve never heard you say that to me.”

Shepard looked up at him, “You most assuredly do not act like a bitch… in some instances anyway.” Shepard twisted her head back to face Miranda.

Garrus’ curiosity was now piqued, “What are these instances where I, the brave and irresistible Garrus, act like a bitch?”

. “That head of yours is getting too big for your helmet." Shepard chuckled. It isn’t in many instances. Just a handful. Drives me crazy… in more ways than one. Subtle isn't your strong point.”

Garrus turned towards Shepard, “That in no way answers my question, Shepard.”

He saw her lips tilt into her famous smirk, “I never said I was going to answer the question.” She sent him a look… of excitement? That scent entered his nostrils again. “Think about it.” Shepard threw at him as she walked up to Miranda. “We good to go?”

Miranda smiled at her, but Shepard noticed the water sitting at the edge of her eyelids, “Yeah.”

Before they headed out to help Jacob, the Illusive Man wanted them to investigate a facility that an agent had been taken to.

“Grunt, Garrus, suit up we have to go find a Cerberus operative.”

“Uhhh… what?” Garrus questioned.

“They want us to go find some dude who has been captured or missing or whatever. Should be a quick and short mission.”

Garrus watched as Shepard snapped the last pieces of her gear into place. The shuttle landed, and the team jumped out.

“Info says that mercs are involved, so be careful.”

Garrus had to admit; it was shorter than the previous missions. It wasn’t long before they arrived in a blood-spattered room with the operative laying on a table.

“Shit.” Shepard holstered her weapon and advanced into the room. She examined the operative, “Yeah, he’s dead. Check the room for anything else and let’s get the hell out of here.”

As they headed back to the shuttle, a heat signature came up on Garrus’ visor, “Down!”

Shepard turned her attention to him, “Wha-.”

Garrus shoved Shepard into a nearby hallway as a merc came around the corner, shooting at the team. Garrus shields fell, but he was able to send a round through the man’s skull. He started to move towards Shepard, but stumbled.

His hand went to his neck, and he watched as blue blood dripped from his hand. “Well, damn.”

He was slipping in and out of consciousness. He heard his name being yelled and orders being given. He heard someone say Shepard’s name, but he couldn’t see her.

“Where…”

“Sedate him! Everyone else out of my med bay. Now!” Chakwas yelled.

Everyone left the room and stood in front of the window.

Grunt put his hand on Shepard’s shoulder, “He’ll be okay, Shepard. That stupid turian wouldn’t let a bullet take him out.”

Shepard patted Grunt’s hand, “Thanks, Grunt.” He nodded and left her side to return to his room.

Shepard was finally authorized to enter the med bay. He had lost more blood than Shepard had realized, but he was lucky as they had stocked up on blood packs for transfusions. Garrus felt someone gripping his hand, and he knew it was Shepard. Her familiar scent entered his system. He wanted to tell her he was okay, but whatever he was on was preventing him from the smallest action. He could hear her apologizing. He hated it when she apologized to him. He did what he was supposed to. She was his best friend and commander.

“I… I’m glad you are recovering. There…” He heard her sigh, “There is so much I want to tell you, Garrus. I’ve been thinking about those few instances.”

Instances?

“I’m not sure… God. You can’t hear me and, yet it is still difficult to tell you.”

Tell me what? Shepard! He screamed her name in his mind, but his mouth wouldn’t follow.

“When you got hit by that rocket. That was one of the most horrifying moments in my life. If you didn’t make it…”

Her laughter sounded hollow to him. “I’d have killed every merc and lawbreaker on that dirty ass planet.”

It may have sounded like a joke to others, but at that moment Garrus knew she would do exactly that.

“Now you have scars, which I feel bad about. Sort of. I know women give you a lot more attention now with those scars, so I can’t feel too bad.”

Garrus didn’t care. He wasn’t concerned if he attracted their attention or not.

“They do make you… irresistible. I know you don’t like anyone besides turian women, so if you find one and she hurts you. I’m slitting her throat. Fair warning.”

He cursed in his mind. He wanted to grab her and…

“Garrus. I know you don’t…” He heard her groan, “I can at least tell you while you are dead to the world. Garrus, I want you to know that I care for you.”

He heard a pause, “No. That isn’t quite right.”

She paused once more to gather her thoughts, but her head snapped to the door as it opened.

“Commander.”

Chakwas entered the med bay, “You are needed in the comms room.”

He felt her release his hand. “Right. Thanks, Chakwas.”

He never wanted to destroy an inanimate object so much in his life until that moment. Still a possibility once he woke up.

“Shepard, I’m fine I can join you.” Shepard checked her gear over once more.

“No, Garrus. Doctor’s orders. Sit back and recover. We won’t be gone long.”

“Shepard…”

Thane took that moment to enter. “I know you don’t like the Cerberus people. I’m taking Thane with me, so I’ll be fine.”

Thane gave a small bow, “She will be safe, I assure you.”

Now it wasn’t her safety he was worried about. Garrus growled in disagreement at both. Thane lifted a brow ridge.

“Why don’t you see if you can find out any more about Sidnois. EDI could probably help.”

Garrus mandibles clicked in frustration. “Fine. Just be careful and don’t put your neck too far out there for this guy. Thane keep a close eye on her.”

The two stared at one another for a moment before Garrus walked away.

Thane kept his eyes on Garrus' retreating form. “Indeed.”

“Indeed what?” Shepard asked as she put her weapons into place.

“Nothing, Shepard.”

The team proceeded towards the old ship. “There it is. And mostly intact. They could have survived impact… but it’s been years.” Shepard went through the ship and collected bits and pieces of information. The broken recordings were becoming more disconcerting as they collected them.

“I don’t like how this is going.”

“I agree, Shepard,” Thane added.

They discovered the beacon, “Pause time, eight years, 237 days, seven hours.”

“Yep, don’t like this. Why would it start back up now?”

“Pause is recorded as: RECORD DELETED by Acting Captain Ronald Taylor.”

Jacob shook his head in disbelief, “That’s not right. My father was first officer.”

“Ronald Taylor was promoted under emergency command protocols.” The broken VI continued its explanation of the situation.

“Neural decay? If they have been eating this stuff, there is no telling how far gone most are by now. Stay sharp.” Shepard brought her weapon to the front as the squad moved forward. Meeting the hunters and the survivors made the situation dire and began to confirm the teams’ suspicions.

“Jacob.”

He sighed in exasperation, “I know.”

As the squad moved through the camp, Jacob’s father spoke to them through the speakers, which only fueled Jacob’s anger. They had made it to his hideout after passing the bodies of what had been the remaining officers.

“You’re here! I knew a real squad would blow through just fine. Sorry if the mechs scuffed your pads.”

Shepard moved to the railing and leaned on it, facing the sea as Ronald continued, “I’ll get you something nice when we get back to Alliance space. I’ve got to have some back pay coming.”

Jacob took that moment to speak up, “What about your crew, Acting Captain?”

Shepard listened to them argue some more before she turned around, “To answer your question, I am Commander Shepard of the Normandy. I believe you are acquainted with Mr. Taylor.”

Ronald spun around to face his son, “Taylor? Jacob? No, not Jacob.”

The man had confirmed what Shepard already knew. He couldn’t handle being captain of the crew and had instead created a fantasy land for himself. A fantasy land that was deteriorating and he had to get off the planet or die. What he created, what he had done was a perfect example of the adage, absolute power corrupts absolutely. Shepard shook her head and faced the open area behind her. She watched as the hunters moved forward. She motioned towards them, and Thane nodded in response, turning his attention to them as Shepard and Jacob dealt with Ronald.

“We can help these people. Cerberus can have ships here in days and pull everyone out.” Jacob turned his gun on his father, “He’s not worth the fuel to haul him out, or the air he’s breathing. He’s damned lucky I don’t even think he’s worth pulling the trigger.”

Jacob brought his gun down, “I don’t know who you are. Because you’re not any father, I remember.”

“We can arrange to pick up the rest of the survivors. Mr. Acting Captain here… he can deal with the hole we punched through his mechs. I think the hunters want to say hi. Just my opinion though, Jacob. However, the choice is ultimately yours.”

“Now wait. I’m supposed to get rescued. The crazy ones, you don’t know what they’ll do to me.”

“They’ll kill you… Eventually.” Thane retorted as he kept his gun trained on the hunters, stopping their forward movement.

“My father was a different man, Shepard. A good man. I wish I’d found him.”

Jacob turned to leave, “Jacob.” His father implored him, but out of concern or fear was anyone’s guess. But, Shepard was betting on the fear.

Jacob faced his father one last time, “You are a better man dead as far as I’m concerned you still are.”

Jacob walked away from the remnants of his father, listening to the fear and anger come surrounding his words as he called out to him, “Jacob!” Shepard and Thane followed behind, but could hear the resounding hit from a hunter into Ronald. 

The team boarded the Normandy and Shepard wasn’t even through the door before she was bombarded.

“You have new messages at your terminal, and Grunt needs to speak with you, Commander.”

“The Illusive Man needs you on comms.”

“Shepard. My area. When ready.”

Shepard pinched the bridge of her nose.

Thane watched her become more stressed and then moved his dark gaze towards the individuals assailing her, “The Commander has just returned and will be with each of you shortly. Please give her a moment to compose herself.”

While he said please, the others could sense the demand underneath and quickly returned to their posts. No one was going to piss off _the_ top-ranked assassin. He placed his hand on her shoulder. Shepard lifted her face and smiled. Thane felt a heat spread through his chest.

“Nothing like a threat from an assassin to make people scurry.”

Thane smirked, “I did not threaten your crew, Shepard.”

, “Right. You may have said please, but they heard, ‘Leave, or I will rip your throats out.’” He heard her the amusement in her words.

Thane placed his hands behind his back, “I would not do that on your ship, Shepard. The mess left behind would be impolite.” Thane winked at her before walking away.

Shepard laughed once more, unaware of the turian sitting back watching the exchange.

Shepard told Grunt and Mordin she would be with them after they handled Jack’s mission. She was sitting at the mess decks, which were empty as it was late. She heard the familiar footsteps coming out of the battery. Garrus grabbed a dextro-snack and sat across from her. She glanced up at him, then back to the table.

“So, how is Jacob?”

She picked her head up and placed her chin in her hands, “Well, he hasn’t destroyed the armory, so there’s that.”

“How did it go? I didn’t really get the story yet.”

Garrus heard her let out a frustrated grunt, “The guy lost his mind.”

She saw him raise a brow plate in question, “Where to begin… the ship crashed some years ago, and we picked up recordings here and there, but I didn’t believe it at first. At least not till we came upon one of the survivors. The planet’s plant life was toxic and was breaking down their mental faculties.”

He watched her brows furrow, a mixture of contemplation and anger on her face. “Jacob’s father let the power go to his head. He used the women like… toys. Assigned them to the surviving officers. The males, whether from the plant life or his bullshit or both, turned aggressive and were trying to get to him.”

“Assigned them?” Garrus tilted his head slightly, not completely understanding what she had said.

“Yeah. He allowed the other officers to do as they pleased with the women. They lived in some teenager fairytale. But by the end of it, it was only Jacob’s father playing ruler and hoping to escape the situation he had created.”

“Spirits… What did you do with his father.”

Shepard leaned back in the chair, crossing her arms, “Well, we could have shot him.”

“But you didn’t.”

“No. Thought about it. But no. Could have brought him to face a military trial.”

“Again. You didn’t.”

She smirked, “Nope.”

“Judging by the smirk, I’d say you left him there.”

Shepard nodded. “Yeah. We rescued the others, but left him to the hunters. From the sound of it, it wasn’t going well for him.”

Garrus leaned back, “Huh. Not something I expected.”

Shepard stared at him confused, “Why?”

“Well, you remember the salarian geneticist. You didn’t kill him or leave him there.”

They stared at one another for a bit before Shepard responded, “No, I didn’t. But he had chosen, before we got there, that he was only going to leave in a body bag. If we got him back to face trial, we could have found out who he harmed and how he had accomplished it. Maybe saved some people.”

Garrus said nothing.

“And this was Jacob’s father. It was his choice what to do with the man. He didn’t want to kill him, so that was out. He couldn’t have saved anyone, and there was nothing to glean from his trial. But in the end, I left it to Jacob to decide. I thought that the people he harmed deserved to handle him. Apparently, Jacob agreed.”

Garrus merely nodded at the explanation, somehow not making Shepard feel better about it.

She stood and braced herself on the table, leaning forward, “I didn’t want you to go down that road, Garrus. I didn’t want you to become hardened.”

He stood and mirrored her stance, “Shepard. That choice was mine. I understand why you did what you did, but in the end, I still went vigilante on Omega.”

Shepard dropped her head and shook it. She pushed away from the table, “But it didn’t harden you did it. And you can’t be a vigilante where there is no real law enforcement, now can you?” Shepard smirked at him before heading towards the elevator.

Garrus watched the doors close behind her before returning to the battery, smiling as he thought about her comment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoped you enjoyed the chapter. I'm trying to keep the main events/storyline quest to a minimum and add more side events and conversations to the story. Thanks for reading!


	17. Picking Up Bad Habits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update. I am rewriting the original work I did because I want it to fit the story I'd like to tell. As such, some things may be a bit out of order, such as companion personal quests. I am wanting to add it additional side stuff besides the original game content, so please bear with me. Enjoy!

Garrus, Jack, and Shepard sat in the shuttle as it headed to Pragia.

“No cheerleader, huh?”

“No. Babysitting one of you is enough.”

“Whatever.” Jack turned her attention out the window, “I forgot how much I hate this place.” She pointed to an area of the facility, “See the landing pad? Has to be on the roof or the vegetation would overgrow it in a few hours.”

EDI’s voice interrupted the conversation, “Shepard. I am picking up thermal signatures everywhere, except at your landing zone.”

“Something’s distorting the sensors.”

“Can’t even blow up an abandoned facility in peace.” Garrus teased.

Going through the facility was an emotional rollercoaster for Jack. Shepard knew she wouldn’t admit to her feelings, but she could see it in her facial expressions and actions. Jack spoke of feeling excited during fights, fights that were at the behest, or rather torture, of the guards. But Shepard saw the pain enter her eyes when she talked about being forced to fight the other kids. The situation and her memories were becoming more difficult for her as the squad moved along. She was discovering that what she remembered, what she thought she knew, might not have been the entirely true.

“Shit. This place was supposed to be empty. Abandoned!” Jack roared as she blasted a merc with her biotics.

“Apparently not. They aren’t Cerberus, just mercs. But why here?” Shepard questioned while staring at the dead merc.

The team progressed through the facility, listening to recordings as they went along. Shepard could see the world that Jack knew begin to crumble more as they made it further in.

“Come out. We know you’re here.” Shepard announced as they entered the last room.

The man came out of his hiding place. “Who are you?” Jack eyed the man up and down.

“My name is Aresh, and you’re breaking into my home. I know you, Subject Zero.”

Aresh began to move around the room as he told his story, but Jack wasn’t thrilled at his explanations. Even less so after his mention of experimenting on the other kids to avoid harming her.

“I wanted a hole in the ground – he’s trying to justify what happened by using it!” Jack exclaimed as she kept her gun trained on the man.

Shepard tried to find out the reasoning behind his thought process, but it sounded as crazy as the man itself.

“They must have known something. They wouldn’t have done what they did if they didn’t find out something.”

Shepard held her hand up to stop the argument between the two, “Look. We are here to blow this place up, but that leaves crazy here. So, what do we do with another you because I have one psycho biotic limit on my ship.”

Jack positioned herself behind the man. “Just leave me here. This is where I belong.”

“Jack, he’s trapped in his past. You need to move on from yours.”

“He wants to restart this place. Needs to die!”

Shepard stepped closer to Jack, “For fuck’s sake, Jack. He’s gone banana sandwich, and we killed his merc team. He has no hope of restarting this facility. You’re letting your past control you. Let. It. Go.”

Shepard saw the anger and confusion cross Jack’s face, eventually replaced by acceptance, “Fuck. Get out of here. Go!” She yelled at Aresh.

Shepard gave Jack time to go through her room, reminiscing, before planting the bomb and boarding the shuttle.

Shepard had changed into her casual ship wear and was heading to the battery when Joker came over the ship’s speakers.

“Commander, Jack and Miranda are in the middle of a… disagreement. Can you head it off before they tear out a bulkhead?”

Shepard’s head fell back, “I’m going to leave them on some abandoned planet so that they can battle it out. I’ll deal with it!”

Garrus leaned against the battery doors, “Never a break, huh?”

Shepard lifted her head, “It is like babysitting children.”

Garrus pushed off the door, “Children that have powerful biotics.”

Shepard shrugged, “I can take them. Plus, I have my krogan and a supposed to be dead turian who is some sort of expert marksman.”

Garrus smirked, “Well, I wouldn’t say sort of. I’m most definitely a great shot. And good-looking, and--.”

“I also have an assassin who isn’t nearly as big-headed.” Shepard turned to leave, “I wonder if he would be willing to help.”

Garrus growled at her, but fell into step next to her. Shepard entered Miranda’s office to find the two women in a heated confrontation.

“Touch me and I will smear the walls with you, bitch!”

Jack threw a chair at Miranda who stepped aside to avoid it. The two charged up to attack each other.

“Enough! This is not happening on my ship.”

Garrus stood behind Shepard, leaning against a wall. Thane appeared next to him, saying nothing.

“Your sneakiness is out of control,” Garrus commented.

“Jealous?” Thane quipped. Garrus felt like that statement carried more to it, but he let it go.

“What happened?”

“No idea. Started after everyone came back from Jack’s mission. I’m here for the show.”

“And Shepard.”

Garrus peeked at Thane, “Yeah. Can’t let it get too out of control.”

“Indeed. Two powerful biotics against Shepard may be a bit much.”

Garrus chuckled, “I wouldn’t say that.” Thane twisted his head to stare at Garrus who motioned for him to watch the three.

“The cheerleader won’t admit what Cerberus did to me was wrong!”

“It wasn’t Cerberus. Not really. But clearly you were a mistake.”

“Screw you! You’ve no idea what they put me through! Maybe it’s time I showed you!”

The two threw attacks at one another and damaged the bulkhead in the process. Shepard’s anger increased as did her biotics. She pinned both women against the wall.

“I said. Enough!” The women finally stopped struggling, and she settled them to their feet, “Our mission is too important to let personal feelings get in the way.”

Miranda and Jack were still staring one another down, “Fuck your feelings. I just want her dead.”

Shepard waved dismissively at them, “You both know what we’re up against. Save your anger for the Collectors. After that, I can leave you two somewhere to battle to your heart's content.”

Miranda stepped towards Jack, “I can put aside my differences… until the mission’s over.”

“Sure. I’ll do my part. I’d hate to see her die before I get a chance to filet her myself.”

“Good. One big happy family.”

The two turned to face Shepard. “But let me explain one thing.” Her biotic energy swirled around her, blue with shades of purple, “If either of you tries anything or damage my ship in any capacity,” she lifted the previously thrown chair and crushed it into small pieces, “You’ll deal with me. Clear?”

The women stared at the chair fragments, “Aye aye, Commander.”

“Yeah… sure whatever.”

Jack left, and Miranda returned to her desk. Shepard turned around and saw Thane and Garrus staring at her, “What?”

“That was an interesting display, Shepard.” Thane offered, making Shepard smile as she approached the two.

She placed her hand on Thane’s shoulder, “My, my. The best assassin in the galaxy sounds amazed and maybe a bit… jealous?”

Thane smirked, “I don’t know about that, Shepard. But it was fascinating.” Garrus watched the exchange, saying nothing.

Shepard turned her head to Garrus, “Looks like I didn’t need backup.”

“One of the rare times I didn’t have to come save you.”

Shepard shoved him, “Please. By my count, I saved you more times.”

Garrus grunted, “Highly doubt that. Your math skills are awful.”

“Whatever makes you feel better you overgrown turkey.” With that Shepard left the area.

The two watched as she boarded the elevator, “Fascinating, huh?” Garrus asked.

Thane kept his eyes on the elevator, “It was. Shepard is quite a captivating woman. It will be interesting to learn more about her.”

Garrus’ eyes moved from the elevator to the drell. “You want to learn more about her? Why?”

“I am an assassin. It is part of my job to learn about others I am working with or targeting.” Thane replied before returning to his room.

His explanation did not sit well with Garrus. Confusion lay with whether Shepard was the working partner or the target.

“Garrus, Grunt, be ready to go. We are closing in on Haestrom.”

“What is on Haestrom?”

“Tali.”

Garrus didn’t need to see her smile, that one word was filled with it. “What did she do now?”

Her smile fell as she thought back to the dossier, “All I know is that she is on a mission in geth-controlled space. I have a feeling it isn’t going well.”

The team landed on Haestrom, and the news was what Shepard expected, with a bit more sprinkled on. EDI indicated that Tali was located in the ruins of the facility, which was crawling with geth, but there was also an environmental hazard.

“Environmental hazard… I don’t think is quite adequate for, ‘The sun is going to burn you alive if you stay in it.’”

Shepard groaned. “Okay, stay out of the sun, since it brings down your shields. Grunt be careful. It can still burn you alive even though you are in armor.”

Grunt protested a bit, but nodded. “As long as we aren’t hiding.”

“No, we are making sure we survive to kill the geth.”

Grunt snorted, “Good.”

EDI wasn’t exaggerating. The sun was quickly destroying their shields. The team had to move carefully around the facility, sprinting through sunny areas and not moving till shields were back up. The geth didn’t make things any easier. The team came upon a transmitter from a dead quarian marine.

“This is squad leader Kal’Reegar, come in, over!” “Shit.” Shepard bent down to pick up the transmitter.

“This is Commander Shepard of the Normandy. Can we provide assistance?”

“Patch your radio into Channel 617 Theta.”

Once the comms had switched over, Kal’Reegar began to recount the mission to Shepard’s team, “We were on a stealth mission. High risk. We found what we were after, but the geth found us. They’ve got us pinned down. Can’t get to our ship, can’t transmit data through the solar radiation.”

Shepard listened to his explanation, asking questions here and there for further clarification and discovered that the mission had gone from high risk to dire.

“Is Tali safe?”

“Affirmative. I left my best man with her.”

As Shepard made her way through the facility, she stopped to listen to the recordings Tali had left behind, laughing at some and saddened by others.

“Shepard once used a mining laser to clear some rubble back on Therum.”

Garrus rolled his eyes, “Great, now Tali is picking up your bad habits.”

Shepard shrugged, “If it works it isn’t stupid.”

Garrus scanned the older part of the facility, “Why would the quarians come here? Whatever they’re after, I hope it’s worth it.”

“I don’t think Tali would come here unless it was for a good reason.”

“I wish Shepard was here.” Another recording left by Tali. Shepard sighed. Garrus placed his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it to comfort her. He caught the strain in her smile as she squeezed his hand in return.

She pushed away from the recording, “Let’s go.”

“Tali’Zorah to base camp. Come in, base camp.”

Shepard hit the screen, “Tali, it’s Shepard. I’m sorry. Everyone here is dead. Any survivors must have fallen back.”

“We knew this mission was high risk. Damn it.” Tali shook her head in frustration. “And what are you doing here, Shepard? We’re in the middle of geth space!”

Garrus could hear the relief in her voice, “You know, I was in the neighborhood. Thought you might need a hand. Realized you needed more than a hand, so I brought the big guns.”

Tali chuckled, “Thanks for coming, Shepard. It means a lot to hear your voice. Kal’Reegar and what’s left of the marines got me into the observatory. From where you are, it’s through the door and across the field.”

“The door is locked though.”

Tali hacked the system to open it. Shepard asked a few more questions before moving from the console.

“Ready?”

“Always.”

“Duh.”

Shepard opened the door and windows of the room. As the windows came up the geth turned towards them.

“Colossus! Get down!” Shepard yelled as each member dove away from the incoming blast.

The crew stood back up and moved through the door, “Definitely like old times.”

“You guys used to do this?”

“Yeah. You should ask Wrex about all the nonsense we had to deal with.”

Grunt became excited at the idea, “This is awesome.”

“Sound like anyone we know?” Garrus looked at Shepard, who laughed in response.

Shepard spotted Reegar crouched behind a barricade, “Over here! Get to cover!”

Shepard squatted down next to Reegar, “I still have no idea why you’re here, but this ain’t the time to be picky.”

Reegar pointed to the area behind the Colossus, “Tali’s inside over there. The geth killed the rest of my squad, and they’re trying to get to her. Best I’ve been able to do is draw their attention.” 

Shepard watched the quarian wince in pain as he continued his explanation. He offered to help, but Shepard knew that wasn’t an option.

“You’ve done enough, Reegar. You don’t need to throw your life away.”

The quarian shook his head, “Wasn’t asking your permission. My job is to keep Tali safe. This is our best shot.”

“We don’t have enough people on our side for you to take one for the team. Stand down, Reegar. We can handle this.”

“I’m not going to stand there while you run into enemy fire! They killed my whole squad!”

“I understand, Reegar. But if you want to honor your squad, watch my back. I need you here in case they bring reinforcements!” She gave a light squeeze to his forearm and he sighed.

“All right, Shepard. We’ll do it your way. Hit them for me. Keelah se’lai.”

She beamed, “Don’t worry… I’ll make the sky glitter with their parts.” Shepard hopped over the cover and ran into the storm.

“Is she always like this?” Reegar yelled. Garrus and Grunt nodded before joining her.

The colossus was a beast, but it too fell.

Garrus had to pull a raging Grunt off it, “Teenagers.” Garrus joked as he came up beside Shepard.

She banged on the door, “Open up Tali, the cavalry has arrived.”

“Just a second. I locked the door to keep more geth from getting inside.”

“Did she say to keep more geth from getting inside?” Shepard and Garrus stared at one another in confusion.

She wasn’t kidding. The room was covered in dead geth, as well as a few quarians.

“Let me just finish this download…” Tali turned around to face Shepard, “Thank you, Shepard. If not for you, I would never have made it out of this room. This whole mission has been a disaster. I wish I’d joined you back on Freedom’s Progress, but I couldn’t let anyone take my place on something this risky.” Shepard didn’t think Tali would risk such a mission for data and Tali confirmed her suspicions. The admiralty board had made the call and Tali wasn’t happy with it.

“I’m glad I could help Tali. When you deliver the data, you are welcome to join us on the Normandy.”

“I promised to see this mission through. I did. I can leave with you and send the data to the Fleet.” Tali flipped her hand dismissively, “And if the Admirals have a problem with it, they can go to hell. I just watched the rest of my team die.”

Reegar entered the room, holding his side, “Maybe not the whole rest of your team, ma’am.”

Shepard could hear the excitement in Tali’s voice, “Reegar! You made it!”

“Your old captain’s as good as you said. Damn colossus never stood a chance.”

“If you need, the Normandy can get you out of here too, Reegar.”

“The geth didn’t damage the ship. Long as we get out of here before reinforcements show up, we’ll be fine.”

Shepard watched as Tali worried her hands, “Actually, Reegar, I won’t be going with you.”

Reegar accepted her explanation, “She’s all yours now, Shepard. Keep her safe.”

Shepard finished her last email and stretched. “I’m not even with the Alliance and yet I’m still doing the same amount of paperwork.”

She rolled her neck and shoulders as she moved away from the desk. She headed to the lounge and realized she had once again worked until the wee hours, so except for a few night crew, the ship was quiet and empty. The doors opened and Shepard found Zaeed sitting on the couch, nursing a beer and staring out the window.

“Evening or morning.”

“Shepard. Did you come to hang out with the old merc?”

Shepard thought she heard a twinge of something in his voice. Sadness? Loneliness? Anger?

Shepard grabbed a drink and flopped down on the couch, “Didn’t know you could leave your room. Did your mom unground you?” She caught the slight upturn in one corner of his mouth.

“Yeah. Gave me a bottle and burped me too.”

“What a nice lady.”

“Such a wanker.”

The two fell into a comfortable silence. After the incident with his mission, Shepard thought he would be a bit colder towards her. However, she found that the two had formed a sort of bond. They got along well and while he could be a smartass and run his mouth, he was also trustworthy. It was an eye-opener for her and a sort of comfort. When most turned their backs on her or thought her stories were lies or exaggerations, this mercenary believed her. He didn’t question what she had told him or waved them off as stories for children. A trustworthy mercenary. Two words she would have never put together.

“So, how is everything with you and the turian?”

Shepard slowly turned her head towards the merc, “What?” He had pulled her from her stupor and she stared at him in confusion. Not fully processing his question.

“Don’t stare at me like I have two heads or somethin’. Jus’ a question.”

“Didn’t find you as one for idle gossip.”

“Curiosity… or whatever.”

Shepard chuckled, “Everything is okay, Zaeed.”

She heard him groan, “What?”

“You didn’t tell him yet?”

“Tell him what?”

“That you want inside his armor.” Zaeed saw the faint blush appear on her face before she turned back to the window.

“We aren’t like that.”

“No, but you wan' ta be.”

“Says who? Didn’t know you were an expert on relationships and emotion, Zaeed.”

She peeked at him out of the corner of her eye and caught the twinge of anger and sadness appear before he spoke, “Not sayin’ I am. I do know something about them though. I see how you two stare at one another. Get a room already.”

“I do not-.”

Zaeed interrupted her, “You do. Don’t deny it. I have eyes.”

Shepard dropped her head against the sofa, “So what if I do? We are good friends, Zaeed.”

He remained silent and Shepard rolled her head to look at him. “I’m waiting for you to explain how the hell that has anythin’ to do wit’ it.”

“Cause it could ruin our friendship if I go in there and say, ‘Hey, I want to sleep with you.’”

“You sure about that? Cause I think he’d go for it.”

Shepard chuckled as she turned her attention to the ceiling, “If I was turian, then yeah. But I’m not and if you knew Garrus, you’d know he only goes for his species.”

Zaeed thought back to the time he barged into his room, “Yeah, gonna have to disagree with you on that.”

“You seem awfully sure of yourself.”

“I’m not as dumb as you think I am.”

“Zaeed, I never thought you were dumb. You do dumb shit, but I don’t think you are dumb.”

“When have I-.”

“Refinery.”

Zaeed narrowed his eyes at her and she smirked in return, “Isolated incident.”

“Riiiight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I hope to have the next one posted soon.


	18. Life Support

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life Support. Internal battles. Tuchanka. Things out of order. The usual.

Shepard had plotted the course for Tuchanka to help Grunt with his personal request before he took it upon himself to destroy the rest of her ship. She took a detour to Thane’s room and spotted Garrus leaning against the counter, his mind obviously elsewhere. Shepard headed towards him and bumped him with her hip.

Garrus jolted slightly, “Hey, Shepard. Did you need me for something?”

Shepard stepped back, “No, I was just checking to make sure you were still breathing. You looked lost in thought.”

Garrus’ eyes never left her face, “I guess I was. A lot on my mind.”

“Anything I can help with?”

Garrus paused for a moment. He had been thinking about something quite a bit, but talking about it in the mess decks wasn’t the way to go about it.

“Maybe. I’ll talk to you about it another time. What are you doing down here with the common folk?” He teased, attempting to change the subject.

“Oh, Thane needed to speak with me, so I’m heading that way.”

Garrus tilted his head slightly, "Speak to you about what?"

“I don’t know. Chambers just said he needed to speak with me. Seemed urgent. I’ll go find out though. Bye, Garrus.” Shepard waved at him as she headed to Life Support.

Garrus watched as she disappeared around the corner and heard the opening and closing of the door. The urge to stand outside the door was burning inside him. He wanted to hear what was going on, but he knew it wasn’t any of his business. It was between her and Thane. In Life Support. Alone… together. His mind began to conjure up multiple possibilities, none of which he enjoyed. He did ask you about your relationship and someone else approaching Shepard. That moment came to the forefront of his mind. He had been sitting in the lounge when the doors opened, and Thane entered. 

“Ah, good evening, Garrus.” Thane moved to stand next to the couch Garrus was occupying.

“Thane.”

There were a few minutes of silence, till Thane decided to speak, “Garrus I have a question that I want to ask you.”

Garrus glanced over to see Thane staring out the window, hands linked behind his back as part of his usual stance.

“What’s that?”

“You and Shepard seem quite close.”

Garrus waited for a moment, “That isn’t a question, Thane.”

He heard the assassin chuckle, “No, I suppose it is not. You and she have known each other for a while, yes?”

Garrus turned his attention to the cosmos, “Yes, we have. I was with her when she was hunting Saren.”

“Ah, the rogue Spectre. Were you and she together back then.”

“Together?”

“Yes. Were you and she in an intimate relationship?”

If Garrus hadn’t been asked the same question numerous times before he might have choked his drink, “No. No, we were just friends.”

This time Thane turned his attention to the turian, “And what about now?”

Garrus peeked at him out of the corner of his eye, “What about now?”

“Are you and she intimate now?”

“No. Just close friends.” Garrus sighed, “Just really close friends.”

Thane turned his attention to the window once more, “Do you want to engage in a more intimate relationship with her?”

That question gave Garrus pause. Thane said nothing as he waited for him to respond. “I uh… wait why are you asking all this?”

“I do apologize if I am intruding or have offended you. Your relationship is an interesting one to observe. As an assassin, you learn to read people, but you two have been different from others that I have watched. I am merely curious about what your relationship happens to be. Your behavior when together would indicate a relationship that is more than merely friends, but when others ask about the nature of your involvement you deny that is anything more than that.”

Garrus continued to stare out the window, a pregnant pause before he commented, “Our relationship is what it is.”

Thane turned to face Garrus, taking in the subtler changes upon his face and form. He also heard more in that statement than the turian probably meant to project. He knew that if he were to question further, he might not receive an honest answer or an answer at all, which was understandable given that the two were not close.

“Then should another choose to engage in a romantic relationship with her, you would not object?”

Garrus directed his attention from the window to the dark gaze of the drell before returning it to the window. “What Shepard does is her choice. It’s her business, not mine. Especially regarding her intimate life.”

When Garrus had turned towards Thane to ask a question, he was already gone. Silent as always. Garrus didn’t like how that discussion had gone. The randomness of the conversation was weird on its own, but the topic even more so. Garrus couldn’t decide if Thane was gathering info for himself or for another.

His mind thrust the present situation forward. Shepard was going to see Thane as per his request and the internal battle was once more beginning to wage. Battling between what she could be doing and what she was doing. His rational side was telling him that she was in there talking over another personal mission request like the other crew had done. His other side took it upon itself to bring up previous moments and combine them with the current situation. That night he went to her cabin, you never saw him come back down, did you? He could be in there now doing what he probably did in her cabin. Holding her… touching her… undressing her. Running his hands down her-. The loud rumbling that was coming from him snapped him out of his musings. He observed a crew member staring at him wide-eyed before disappearing from the room. Garrus rubbed his neck. This was getting out of control.

Shepard stepped through the Life Support doors, “Hey Thane. You needed to speak with me?”

Thane turned towards Shepard, “Yes. Thank you for coming.”

Shepard stood in the middle of the room as he continued to speak.

“Now that you are here, it seems more difficult to talk about.”

Shepard quickly became concerned, “Are you feeling okay? Should we get the doctor or something?”

Thane gave her a small smile, it was odd to have someone care about him after such a long time, but he found he enjoyed it. “No, Shepard. Although, my mortality has me… dwelling on things."

Shepard watched as he moved to the shelving units nearby to stare at them.

“I had a family, once. I still have a son. His name is Kolyat. I haven’t seen him for a very long time."

Shepard moved to stand beside him, “How long has it been since you talked?”

Thane turned slightly to face her, “Ten years. He showed me some of his schoolwork and asked if we could dance crazy. We did that when he was younger.”

Shepard smiled, “Dance crazy? What sort of dance is that?”

Before Thane could explain, he slipped into another memory. Shepard was amazed when he did such things. Recalling a moment with perfect clarity. There were plenty of times in her life that she wished to be able to do such an act. She watched Thane close his eyes, clearing the memory.

“Did something happen to them?”

“I abandoned them.” He saw the questioning look in her eyes, “Oh, not all at once. Nothing dramatic. No sneaking out in the middle of the night. No final argument or slammed door.”

Business. Shepard felt like that one word carried more than its definition. How often had it gotten in the way of things in people’s lives, including hers and Thane’s?

“You never mentioned this before. Why now?”

Shepard listened to him talk about the passing of his wife, leaving Kolyat to hunt them down and keeping Kolyat from that life. She couldn’t blame him. He did what he thought was best, but Kolyat, it would seem, had different plans for his life.

“I decided it was the best time to speak further about this situation as he is currently located on the Citadel. He has taken a job as a hitman.”

Shepard watched Thane collect his thoughts.

“I would like your help to stop him. He is… This is not a path he should walk.”

Shepard raised an eyebrow at him, “This seems odd. People don’t usually hire rookies for these kinds of jobs.”

Thane shook his head slightly, “Indeed. However, I’m afraid someone may have seen we share a name and assumed we share skills.” Thane’s brow ridge furrowed, “But this does not explain why he would accept such a task.”

“Maybe he wants to be closer to you.”

Thane sighed, “That thought haunts me more than any other.”

“Why the Citadel though?”

Thane explained the situation behind a package he left for him when he finally passed, but it was delivered too early.

“Thane, I will be happy to help you.” He saw the question on her face before she spoke. “But why me? I don’t have your contacts or skills.”

“I do not need your help. I want it. The last time I saw my son—.”

Thane lost himself in another memory. This one was more heartbreaking than before. Listening to him recall the funeral of his wife broke her heart. She waited till he came back to the present.

“I’m sorry for making you recall that.”

Thane saw the distress and concern enter her eyes, “Perfect memory. It is sometimes a burden.”

The two walked towards the door. Shepard paused in the doorway, turning to face Thane.

She reached out and hugged him, “We’ll find him. Don’t worry. If you need to talk more. I am always available.”

Thane paused for a moment, caught off guard by her action before returning her hug. “Thank you, Shepard.” His eyes moved towards a noise and witnessed a flash of silver leave the area.

Garrus, Shepard, and Grunt landed on Tuchanka and were met by krogans with guns aimed at her team.

“The clan leader wants to speak with you.” He motioned to Grunt, “Keep your rutting pet on a short leash. Get him the Rite soon, or put him down.”

“So, you know what’s wrong with him? What he needs?”

The Overcaptain waved her off dismissively, “There’s nothing wrong with him. Just go speak with the clan leader.”

Shepard moved through the doorway, “So much for the welcome party.”

Shepard began to approach the area where the clan leader was seated, but was stopped once more.

“Halt! You must wait till the clan leader summons you. He is in talks.”

Shepard peeked around the guard to see another krogan pacing back and forth, berating the clan leader.

Wrex stood, “Shepard!”

“Good enough?”

He moved to allow her through as Wrex shoved the complaining krogan aside. She felt like her smile was going to split her face as she approached her old friend, grasping one another’s forearm and her other hand covering his much larger one.

“Shepard, my friend.”

Grunt stared in awe at the picture in front of him. She approached a krogan clan leader with a smile on her face, and the clan leader returned it and referred to her as a friend. He looked at Garrus who winked.

“Old friend of ours.”

Few words that Grunt felt held more weight than the sentence itself.

“You look well for dead, Shepard. Should have known the void couldn’t hold you.”

“Wrex. Looks like you’ve done well for yourself.”

Wrex’s smile fell a bit, “Not for me, Shepard – for all krogan. Clan Urdnot is just the start. When I’m done, we will be one people again.”

Wrex spread his arms wide, but the joyous moment was ruined by the krogan from before, “You abandon many traditions to get your way. Dangerous.”

Shepard noticed an all too familiar look appear on Wrex’s face. He turned to the interrupting krogan and headbutted him, “Speak when spoken to, Uvenk.”

Wrex returned to his seat, “I’ll drag your clan to glory whether it likes it or not.”

Shepard couldn’t resist the grin on her face as she passed the krogan. Shepard and Wrex reminisced a short while before getting down to business.

Grunt moved forward to be assessed by Wrex, “Where are you from whelp? Was your clan destroyed before you could learn what is expected of you?”

Uvenk continued to cut into the discussion, irking Shepard and Garrus watched as biotic energy began to surround Shepard's clenched hands the more Uvenk spoke.

“Wrex, I need Grunt back up to speed. What’s wrong with him.”

“There’s nothing wrong with him. He’s becoming a full adult.”

“Adolescence…” Garrus groaned, “Can’t we just take him to Omega and buy him a few dances.”

Shepard tried to hide her smile by shoving Garrus, “Not everyone goes out to get laid when they become an adult.”

Garrus smirked, “Are you sure? I’m pretty sure that is an unwritten rule.”

Shepard chuckled, but Wrex shook his head at them. Wrex’s mention of having Grunt go through the Rite sent Uvenk on a tangent. Which later ended with a headbutt from Shepard and laughter from the Shaman.

“Can never be normal, can you Shepard?” Garrus chuckled as she rubbed her neck.

“Of course not.”

The Rite battle was exhausting, but the team had managed to down everything, including the thresher maw.

“That’s bonus points, right?” Shepard was bent over, panting as the beast lay dead.

She stood up and stretched, but was interrupted by a ship arriving overhead.

“We have company. Good. I want more.” Grunt growled as he reloaded his gun.

The team descended the rubble, “Shit.” Shepard saw Uvenk standing on a barrier, pacing.

“You live, and you brought down the thresher maw. No one has done that in generations. Urdnot Wrex was the last.”

Grunt spoke first, “My krantt gave me strength beyond my genes. Which are damn good.”

Uvenk was quick to dismiss Grunt at the start, but after the battle, he had changed his mind and wanted him in his clan, but with strings attached.

“You don’t want him; you just want a trophy.” Shepard had become enraged at the krogan’s words, but she knew it was not her choice. She turned to Grunt, “I cannot speak for you Grunt. This is your choice. But, it sounds like an easy job. And you don’t get to have sex for the rest of your life. That would be some bullshit if it were me.”

“Didn’t know sex was such a high priority, Shepard.”

Shepard glanced back at Garrus and winked, “You never asked. You could probably learn a thing or two if you did.”

She faced forward, and Garrus could feel his temperature rise at her comment, a low growl escaping him. Grunt wasn’t impressed with Uvenk and discarded his offer, which meant a battle between them.

Grunt was now part of clan Urdnot and claimed Shepard as his battlemaster. She stood like a proud mother of Grunt’s achievements and acceptance into the clan.

She wiped a fake tear from her eye, “My little boy is growing up so fast.”

“Soon he will be out killing all on his own,” Garrus added.

Grunt stared at them, “You two are weird.”

Shepard patted him on the back, “You hang out with us, so that makes you weird too.”

Wrex laughed at the group, “Somethings never change, huh Shepard.”

Shepard beamed at her old friend, “Never.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know things aren't strictly by the game regarding missions and the like, but I am taking an artistic license to alter events to fit the story I have created. I do hope you enjoyed the chapter and please do not be afraid to leave a comment!


	19. Change of Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things change. Bad intel and off to the Citadel we go!

The Normandy took off from Tuchanka to head to the Citadel. Time was of the essence for Thane and his son. Original plans had been tossed into the air like loose paper and landed as they may. Mordin's friend had moved, and tensions were making it difficult to get reliable intel. Wrex knew of the situation and instructed the team to come back in a few days when things were more calm, or as calm as they could be on Tuchanka. The events with Grunt had caused quite a ruckus within the area. As for Thane, the timeframe had changed, and the Normandy was racing to catch up. 

Luckily, they arrived with some time to spare and quickly departed the ship.

Thane, Shepard, and Garrus headed through Citadel’s security. “You’d think Citadel Security would be the tightest in the galaxy.” Thane scanned the area as they walked through.

“I know C-Sec too well to believe that’s true,” Garrus commented.

“I see no fewer than fourteen fatal flaws a skilled assassin could exploit. Eight of them existed when I was here ten years ago.”

“Good to know that after saving the place it is still no safer. Let’s go.”

The team headed to Captain Bailey to find out about the drell that passed through.

“Hey, Shepard. What did ya need?” Bailey asked.

“My associate is trying to find his son. We think a local criminal may have hired him. Bailey gave them information about Mouse and pointed them to his location.

“Oh, he was selling a VI personality of you, Shepard. When you erased a file, it would say, ‘I delete data like you on the way to real errors.’”

“That’s pretty extreme, Shepard.” Garrus teased.

Shepard rolled her eyes, “Laugh it up, you raptor chicken.”

“It had an error message that would say something about how the galaxy was at stake, and you should fix the problem yourself.”

“I don’t know about that one.” Shepard rubbed her neck.

“Yeah, Miss friendliness knows no bounds over here wouldn’t say something like that.”

Shepard glared at Garrus, “I hate you.”

“No, you don’t. You can lie to everyone else, but I know you are madly in love with me.”

Shepard chuckled, “Your ego is astounding.” Shepard turned to Thane, “Let’s go find Mouse.”

Mouse was found more easily than Shepard expected. She watched the exchange between Thane and him, interjecting here and there for information.

“They seem close,” Garrus whispered to her.

“Yeah. I don’t think that is necessarily a good thing.”

After talking Shepard faced Thane, “You okay?”

Thane saw the look of worry, “Mouse knew more about my life than Kolyat ever did.”

Thane slipped into another memory. It fascinated Shepard that he could do that, but she could imagine that it became a burden or problematic in some cases.

“I was the only good thing he had, back then. But I left him, as I left Kolyat.” Shepard asked about the holo he carried, and Thane chuckled, “Yes. A foolish bit of sentimentality. I can perfectly recall every moment I spent with Mouse.” He began to recall the memory of receiving the holo.

Garrus was glad he didn’t have the recall memory that Thane had. Having a perfect memory was one thing and that had pros and cons of its own. However, the idea of suddenly falling into his memories and recalling them in front of others or Spirits forbid, Shepard, was terrifying and embarrassing. Hearing than mention the hollow made his mind immediately remember the holo he kept of Shepard. The one he stared at each day, reminiscing about their lives together. Going through different emotions, even after he had accepted her death. His eyes moved to her. While they talked, he was able to observe her. It did feel weird from time to time to see her. He had spent two years processing her death. Eventually, he accepted she would not return and yet, here she stood. Almost exactly as before. As if it never happened. But it did. He remembered the day that Joker and Anderson told him about her death. He growled slightly at the memory. He saw the quick glance from Thane. Damn drell hearing. He had wanted to destroy the room. To kill those involved. Hell, he wanted to break Joker’s arm for putting a ship over her. To punch Anderson for letting her venture out there to kill off geth and putting her further into harm's way.

He watched her move closer to Thane and grasped both his shoulders, “Don’t blame yourself.”

Thane shook his head, “If I don’t who will? We must carry the weight of our decisions, Shepard. You of all people, know this.”

Shepard couldn’t disagree and smiled at him “Yeah. Yeah, I do.” She stepped back, “Let’s go talk to Bailey.”

“Had to get a VI of yourself didn’t you.”

Shepard smirked, “Hey. I thought it would be cool. Unlike someone, I’m not egotistical.” Shepard looked at Garrus pointedly.

“Shepard, it isn’t egotistical if it is true.”

Shepard shoved him and laughed, “Whatever. I think you are starting to believe your lies.”

“I do not lie, madam.”

Shepard laughed harder, “Stop. Stop. I can’t handle this.” She finally got herself under control and wiped tears from her eyes, “Oh, I needed that. Now let’s get back to Bailey before Garrus delays us further.”

The information from Bailey, while helpful was bad as he was receiving bribes from the guy they were seeking. However, he offered to help her anyway.

“I’ll get some of my people to bring him in and set him up in a private room. You can interrogate him yourself. I’ll stay out of sight. If I’m lucky, Kelham will believe that I had nothing to do with it.”

“Bring him in. We might not have much time.”

“I’ll make it happen. Wait here.”

Shepard followed behind Kelham and waited for Bailey to let them in.

“He’ll expect me to get him out of this.”

Thane’s brow furrowed, “Not today, I think.”

Bailey left to handle Kelham’s attorney.

“So cute when you get feisty, Thane.”

Thane looked confused at her statement, “I am an assassin, Shepard.”

Garrus leaned against a wall, listening to the exchange.

“And?”

“I would not use cute to describe my appearance.”

Shepard chuckled, “Well, I wouldn’t use beautiful chaos to describe my behavior and yet here we are.”

Thane smiled at her mentioning his previous description of her. “Quite.”

Garrus bristled at the conversation. When did he say that to her? Why did he say that to her? Thane glanced in his direction making him realize he had growled at the thought.

“So, how do you want to do this?” Shepard asked.

Thane began to pace back and forth, “This will be difficult. If we’re too gentle with him, his advocate will get past Bailey. If we’re too tough… well, we need him alive.”

“You act like I’m going to kill him.” Thane stopped in front of her, “Okay. Always a possibility. Either way. We got this. Have some faith.” She winked at him and headed into the interrogation room.

Kelham laid strapped to the chair. Objecting to the treatment and making threats. “Who the hell are you two?” He snarled.

Shepard moved to stand behind him, while Thane moved to stand in front. “Well, we aren’t C-Sec, and Bailey and his team have nothing to do with this. We just want some answers. Off the record of course.”

“‘Off the record.’ In a C-Sec interrogation room. Sure.”

“Well, since this isn’t a C-sec interrogation, yes. You hired an assassin. Who do you want dead?”

“I want to see my advocate. You two are in way over your heads. Bailey won’t let you touch me.”

Shepard could have sworn his nose lifted a bit higher into the air after that statement. “I swear, I think you are either deaf or stupid. Bailey doesn’t know you’re here. But he will. After we’re done that is.”

The man’s snootiness was getting worse it seemed. “What, kid, you gonna bore me into confessing? You ain’t shit. Come on, hit me. I dare you.”

Shepard rolled her neck, “No, huh? Didn’t think you had the balls.”

“Well, considering I am a woman you are right in that instance.” Thane raised a brow ridge at her, and she smirked in response. “Think carefully, Elias. I know this may be a bit difficult for you. I want to catch the assassin. Not you. Why stick your neck out for him?”

“You want me to confess to putting a contract on someone. You think I’m stupid?”

“I’m not going to repeat myself regarding that. Now, I get the name. I walk out. You never see me again.”

“I got no reason to believe you.”

Thane motioned her to the side of the room. “This isn’t working, Shepard. We’re making no progress.”

Kelham decided to speak up, and Shepard chose to give in to her anger. She rushed him and put her arm against his neck, “I’m done being patient. Give me a name, or I’ll cut your balls off and sell them to krogan!” She snarled.

Thane’s eyes widened a bit at the display. She was an impressive woman. So different from his Irikah, but a sight to behold nonetheless. Both looked up as his lawyer strode in demanding they release his client.

“You’re going to need a shovel the size of the Citadel to dig yourself out of this.” The lawyer was just as snooty as his client.

Thane watched as Shepard settled back into her hip and crossed her arms. Her lips were forming her usual smirk. “Now counselor, I can assure you this is all above board.”

The lawyer crossed his arms, “I can’t wait to hear this excuse.”

Shepard chuckled, “No excuse. I’m a Council Spectre.”

Thane watched as the attorney dropped his cigarette and flinched at her statement. “Shit.”

Kelham was now becoming concerned. “What does that mean, Freddy?”

“Spectres can do whatever they want, Elias. I can’t help you.”

Kelham echoed his attorney’s sentiment, “Shit.”

He looked back at Shepard, “If it was you I wanted, I could kill you and go. I want the assassin. Tell me who the target is, and I’ll leave.”

“Damn it…” Kelham sighed, but he gave them the information they wanted. Shepard reassured Bailey that he wasn’t implicated in the situation and he gave them more details about Koylat’s target.

Shepard and Thane watched the turian speak to voters, “There he is. How do you want to play this?”

Thane motioned to the catwalk, “Follow him on the catwalks. Tell me what he’s doing. The krogan bodyguards will make him easier to follow.”

“Where will you be?”

Thane moved forward, “The darkest corner with the best view.”

Shepard walked away; when she turned to look for him, he was already gone. “Damn assassin sneakiness.”

“I heard that, Shepard.”

She jumped, “I hate you.”

She heard him chuckle into his comm system, “You should not lie, Shepard.”

“Oh, look at you cracking jokes. I think I’ve grown on you, Thane.”

“Indeed, it would seem so, Shepard.”

“Can you two stop flirting and get a move on.” Garrus struggled to keep the anger out of his voice.

“Jealous, Garrus?”

He clenched his fists, “No.”

Shepard chuckled, “Whatever, killjoy.”

Shepard moved along the catwalk, keeping Thane up to date with his location. “He has his krogan doing shakedowns.”

“That allows him to deny involvement.”

“Garbage.”

Shepard and Thane continued to move through the area. As she entered a room, a Citadel worker stopped her, “Hey. Who are you? What are you doing back here?”

Shepard pushed some hair behind her ear, “I’m with Citadel Health and Safety. We’ve had vermin reports in storage areas around here.”

The worker didn’t look entirely convinced at the explanation. “If I didn’t have authorization, how did I get in? You see any other doors?”

The worker tried to counter, but gave up. “Just go on through, okay?”

“Thanks.”

Shepard headed out the door quickly and raced across the catwalk. She caught up to Koylat as he took aim at the turian, “Kolyat!” She shouted.

It gave the krogan enough time to jump in front of the incoming bullet and allowed the turian to run off. Kolyat took off after him.

“Thane!” Shepard shouted as she slid over the railing.

“I saw.”

“He’s heading to Talid’s apartment!”

Shepard and Thane entered the room. Talid was on his knees, and Koylat had a gun aimed at his head. Shepard trained her weapon on Kolyat, while Thane spoke to him.

Garrus and Bailey took that moment to enter the room, “C-Sec. Put the gun down, son.”

Koylat wanted to leave, but Thane pointed out that wasn’t possible anymore. “They’ll have snipers outside.”

Koylat shook his head, “I don’t need your help.”

Shepard aimed at the lamp and shot it, knocking it over. Koylat flinched away from it, “What the hell!”

Shepard took that moment to punch him. Koylat grabbed his face, his eyes wide in pain and confusion.

“Talid, get the hell out of here.” Shepard watched Talid limp out of the room.

“Yeah, yeah. I will.”

Bailey turned to one of his officers, “Take the boy into custody.”

“You son of a bitch!” Kolyat threw the insult towards his father as tears threatened to fall down his face.

Shepard’s anger came out, “You say one more stupid thing, and I’m going to do a lot more than punch you in the face.”

Kolyat watched the blue and purple biotic power circle her hands, “Thane came hundreds of light years to talk to you.”

She turned to Bailey, “I think C-Sec can give you five minutes. Can’t they.”

Bailey nodded, and Thane moved to stand in front of Koylat. He dropped his head forward slightly to collect his thoughts, “You’re angry because I wasn’t there when your mother died.”

Garrus moved to stand next to Shepard, “So, we punch kids?”

Shepard looked down at her fists and realized her biotic power was still going, “I couldn’t help it. Thane traveled far to speak with him. To save him from screwing up his life and this kid’s reaction is to curse at him.”

She listened to Koylat throw accusations at Thane, “I want to ring his neck.”

Garrus placed his hand on her shoulder, “Why?”

Shepard unclenched her fists, “Because I care about him.”

Garrus’ hand dropped from her shoulder, “I see.”

“Thane…”

Garrus put his hand up, “You don’t have to explain anything to me.”

Shepard turned her head to him, confusion on her face.

“I think it is time to go,” Bailey instructed his men to take Koylat back to the precinct and allow them a more private setting.

“I’m surprised you’re letting him do that.”

Bailey watched Thane and Koylat, “You think he’s the only man who ever screwed up raising a son?”

Shepard saw his head dip forward and realized that he was one of those said fathers. She patted his shoulder, making him bring his head back up.

“I have to get back to the precinct. Come on. I’ll give you a lift.”

Shepard paced back and forth, “They’ve been in there a while.”

“The kid has been through a lot. I ran some searches in the C-Sec archive. About ten years back, a bunch of real bad people were killed. Like someone was cleaning house.” Bailey looked up at Shepard, “The prime suspect was a drell. We never caught him.”

Shepard shrugged, “Well, ten years is a long time. Whoever was responsible for that probably doesn’t exist anymore.”

Bailey smirked at her, “Yeah. I guess you’re right about that.”

Thane came out of the room and joined Bailey and Shepard.

“How’d it go?” Shepard questioned.

“Our problems…” He tilted his head down, “They aren’t something I can fix with a few words. We’ll keep talking, see what happens.”

“Your boy shot some people. No one I feel sympathy for, but there it is.”

“I watched those guys shaking down businesses and threatening humans.”

“But he can’t get away with it.”

“The kid wants to make a difference. Give him community service.”

Bailey looked between Thane and Shepard, “Community service for attempted murder? What jury would agree to that?”

Shepard pushed away from Bailey’s desk, “None that I’ve seen. This would need to stay out of the judiciary. Strictly within C-Sec.”

Bailey stood from his chair, “Interesting. I’ll think about it.”

He turned to Thane to shake hands with him, “Thank you, Captain.”

Shepard turned to head out back to the ship, but stopped, “Hey, Bailey?”

He looked up at her, “Yeah?”

“If you need a Spectre or just regular old Commander Shepard. Let me know.”

He laughed as she winked at him, “I’ll hold you to that, Commander.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! I am still moving homes at the moment so uploads may be a bit irregular. Also, the story isn't as in line with the game. I am moving things around as I write, but I still hope you enjoyed the chapter. More to come!


	20. Not a Murderer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mordin's mission. Damn Cerberus. And Tali needs practice, ratios are off.

The Normandy left the Citadel to head for Tuchanka once more. Things had settled, as best as they could at the moment, and intel was solid. Mordin, Garrus, and Shepard departed the ship and headed out to the hospital where Mordin’s friend was supposed to be contained. However, Mordin’s search and rescue didn’t go any better than Grunt's, but there wasn’t a thresher maw, so that was a plus. The scout that the krogan at camp mentioned had been found and was inspired enough to leave the hospital.

“You did a roundabout way of telling him he was being a bitch.” Garrus teased.

“Hey, it got him moving didn’t it. Besides, he was being one.”

As the search continued, they saw evidence of experiments, harsh experiments, that had been conducted. A human body riddled with puncture marks, abrasions indicative of restraints, and tumors were also present. Different krogan lay dead around the facility. Shepard saw Mordin assess each one. He sounded clinical in his explanations, but Shepard could see that it was affecting him. He was observing the damage done in the hopes of reversing what he and other salarians had accomplished earlier. 

“Understood rationale for modified genophage. Right choice. Still hard to sleep some nights.” 

It made things worse when he realized that the dead females were volunteers and not prisoners. 

“No restraint marks. Volunteer…” He stared at the dead in front of him. “Hoped for cure. Pointless. Pointless waste of life.” 

“I didn’t expect you to be disturbed by the sight of a dead krogan.” 

Mordin became angered, moving quickly towards Shepard, “What? Why? Because of genophage? Irrelevant. No, causative. Never experimented on live krogan. Never killed with medicine. Her death not my work, only reaction to it.” 

Mordin returned to the body, “Goal was to stabilize population. Never wanted this. Can see it logically… but still unnecessary. Foolish waste of life. Hate to see it.” 

“Mordin, you had to expect that things would turn this bad. The genophage has been slowly wiping the krogan out. Of course they would turn to more desperate measures if it could end the curse upon them.” Garrus watched her reach out and place her hand on his arm, “I know you are an ethical doctor, Mordin, but ethical doctors weren’t coming to their aid. Their option is laying in front of you.” 

Mordin stared at Shepard, glanced at her hand and the body, “Hard to see big picture behind pile of corpses.” He shook his head. 

Shepard stepped back and watched as he raised a hand over the body, “Rest, young mother. Find your gods. Find someplace better.”

They found Maelon, but it wasn’t what Mordin had believed. He wasn’t a prisoner. He had volunteered to help end the genophage, and he was the one behind the dead bodies that littered the facility. Shepard could see the hurt and rage in Mordin as his student confronted him. 

“The experiments are monstrous… because I was taught to be a monster.” 

The accusations and disagreements continued before Shepard turned to Mordin, “Well, it’s clear that Maelon doesn’t need rescuing, so what do we do now?” 

“We have to end it.”

 Shepard and Garrus looked at one another, but turned back to Maelon as he pointed his gun towards the team. Mordin rushed Maelon, smacking the gun from him and pushing him into the wall. Mordin’s fury rushed to the surface as he aimed the weapon at Maelon, 

“Unacceptable experiments. Unacceptable goals. Won’t change. No choice. Have to kill you.” 

“Wait. You don’t need to do this, Mordin. You’re not a murderer.” 

Mordin lowered his gun, “No. Not a murderer. Thank you, Shepard.” 

Garrus eyes widened a bit in surprise. After everything, he’d done and said… Mordin let him go. The data from the research was kept, and the crew headed back to the Normandy.

Shepard directed Joker to their next destination. It was going to be a couple of days to get there, which gave everyone some downtime. Shepard headed to the observation room to relax. It wasn’t that long after she sat down that Garrus joined her. 

“I’m beginning to think you watch the cameras or sniff me out to find my location.” 

“You caught me. I do all of those things.” 

Shepard laughed, but unbeknownst to her, Garrus did use her scent to find her. He sat next to her and stared at the stars that flew by. 

“The thing with Mordin…” Shepard waited for him to continue. “Why?” 

“That is a very broad question, Garrus.” 

“Why did you stop him?”

 Shepard sighed, “He isn’t a murderer, Garrus. Even during his time on Omega, he killed when he had to, when there was reason to.” 

Garrus turned his head towards her, “But he had a reason to. What that kid did. Those bodies. The torture.” 

Shepard averted her attention to him, “Yes, but as you found, most of those bodies were volunteers. Maelon was responding to a desperate situation because he felt he had to as no one else was helping.” 

“Not all were volunteers.” 

“I know, Garrus. But killing Maelon would have made Mordin a murderer. Had the kid shot at us, I would have let him kill him, but after Mordin disarmed him, the kid was a threat to no one. Mordin never wanted to kill the kid. Even after that. He was furious and acted in response to the anger. Mordin wanted him to do some good and who knows, that kid’s data may help form a cure later.” 

Garrus’ attention returned to the window, “I don’t know, Shepard.” 

Shepard patted his leg, “It’s okay. Mordin and I talked about this already. He was infuriated and hurt, but he never wanted to murder the boy. Had he done it, it would have been something else that kept him up at night.” 

Shepard left her hand on his thigh as she stared out the window. Garrus made no move to remove it. 

“I get the feeling you are trying to teach me some sort of lesson.” 

Shepard removed her hand to take a drink of her beverage, “I’m not trying to teach you anything, Garrus. I’m just telling you about each person and the decisions behind what they and I do. If you learn something from it great, if not then so be it.” 

Shepard glanced down at her drink, “I think, regarding your Sidonis case,” She held up a hand to cut off his comment, “Shush. I’m giving an opinion, you giant rooster. I think maybe listening to him, might be beneficial. I know you’d rather place a round through his skull, but maybe listen to him before you decide to blow his brains out. That’s all.”  

There were a few minutes of quiet, nothing but the sounds of the ventilation systems and odd ship noise. 

“So, how does it feel to be a battlemaster to some teenage krogan?” Garrus could see the smile in the reflection of the window. 

“I feel like a proud mom.” 

“Does that make me the dad?” 

“I guess it does. You were there. I’m just glad he stopped destroying my ship. Damn teenagers.”

Shepard had barely stepped foot onto the Normandy before Kelly ran up to her, “The Illusive Man is waiting for you on comms.” 

“Uggg… fine. Can’t even take a damn shower…. Bullshit… stupid Cerberus.” 

Garrus laughed as he heard her complain her way to the comms room. Shepard showered and sat in the observation room. Garrus entered the room, taking his usual seat and waited for her to talk. 

“Collector Ship.” A simple statement, but entailed more than what was spoken. 

“How?” Garrus asked, keeping his attention on the window. 

“Supposedly, the Illusive Man intercepted a distress call from a turian patrol. They stumbled upon it.” 

Garrus focused his attention on Shepard, “You don’t sound convinced.” 

Shepard scowled at the window, “No. I’m not. How does a turian vessel disable a Collector ship? Not logical.” 

“I don’t know. Disabling it might be possible, not destroy it, but disable.” 

“I find all this weird. I don’t trust the guy. Something is off about him. Not just mentally either. I don’t like any of this.” 

Garrus faced forward once more, “Well, it is Cerberus.” 

He watched her drop her head into her hands, “You don’t think I know that? I know they are a terrorist group. I know they have done horrible things. I know all of this, but they are the only ones who take any of this seriously. I don’t have many options.” 

Garrus paused for a moment. “I didn’t mean to-.” 

“I know. I know. At least you stayed when my own people turned their backs on me.” 

Garrus reached for her hand, “I’m always here for you, Shepard.” Shepard turned her green eyes on him, “I know, Garrus. It means a lot to me. I just… I wish that you-.” 

The doors opened and Tali entered, “Oh, I didn’t mean to barge in. I just wanted a drink to relax.” 

Garrus released her hand, “It’s okay Tali. I’m sure you and Shepard want to catch up too. Make a stiff one for her. Cover the flavor of the alcohol though.” 

Tali clapped her hands, “Oh, I get to play bartender.” 

Garrus returned to the battery, happy that Tali was going to be able to cheer her up, but frustrated because someone interrupted them once more.

Shepard accepted the weird concoction from Tali. She took a sip and found that it wasn’t that bad. 

“Nice job, bartender.” 

Tali giggled, “Thank you.” 

Tali sat down next to Shepard and stared out the window. “So, did Reegar make a recovery?” 

“Yeah. He is one tough quarian.” 

“I’m glad you joined us. We missed you.” 

Tali patted Shepard’s hand, “I missed you guys too. When they said you were dead…” 

Shepard squeezed Tali’s hand, “I’m sorry.” 

“Nothing to be sorry about. I’m sorry I wasn’t there with you.” 

Shepard shook her head, “No. I’m glad you weren’t there. I would not have wanted something like that to happen to you.” 

The two fell into silence for a moment. “So, where is Kaidan?” Tali caught the quick clenching of Shepard's teeth. Oh, keelah. 

“He is with the alliance.” 

Shepard finished her drink before going to grab another. Tali said nothing and waited for Shepard to return to her seat. Anger had appeared on Shepard’s face as she thought back to the meeting. 

“He basically said I was a traitor. That Garrus was a traitor. That nothing we did happened. That the Collectors are working with Cerberus. He turned his back on me. On us.” 

Shepard blew out a breath, “Hackett is allowing me to finish this mission, but, besides Anderson, the Alliance follows along the same train of thought as Kaidan.” 

“Shepard…” 

“The best part… well after my whole species turned their backs on me thing, my alien friends stayed by my side. All this bullshit about humanity being there for each other. Words. Only words.” 

Shepard realized her biotics had slowly crept into her hands. She focused on it, and the energy disappeared. 

“Sorry, Tali. I didn’t mean anything negative about aliens or-.” 

Tali turned towards Shepard and placed her hand on her shoulder, “Shepard.” She turned her head towards Tali, “You are my friend. I will always be here for you. I’m not here for Cerberus. I’m here for you. We all are. I’m sorry about what happened with Kaidan. I’m sorry I was not with you. I’m sorry I couldn’t join you earlier.” 

Shepard patted her hand, “Don’t be sorry Tali. You had to take care of your people. I understand. Besides you are here now.” Shepard finally smiled at her. 

After a moment, Tali cocked her head, “How come Garrus didn’t inflict bodily harm on him?” 

Shepard laughed, “Well, Grunt offered to shoot him as he left.” Laughter filled the room once more.

Garrus could hear noises coming from the lounge and began walking towards it. Thane appeared at his side. 

“Spirits, Thane.” 

“Something wrong?” 

Garrus shook his head. The two entered the room and found Tali and Shepard sitting next to one another, arms over each other shoulders and singing… something. Thane moved around to stand in front of them. 

Shepard spotted him first and stood, falling into him as she lost her balance, “Thaaaane.” 

Thane held her against him as she tried to find her footing. Garrus moved around the couch, and Tali squealed, “Gar-hic-Garrus! I-I haven’t -hic- seen you in forever.” 

She jumped at him, and he caught her before she fell on her face. “I take it you two had quite the fun time. ” Garrus glanced between the two and noticed Shepard’s face was slightly flushed, "And someone needs more practice."

 “We talked a lot. Right Tali?” Tali giggled in response. 

“Tali told me, she really likes someone.” 

Tali gasped, “She-shepard -hic- I told you that in… in confidence.” 

Shepard looked over at her, “Well, shhhh don’t tell them then!” 

“I won’t… I won’t tell them. Tell them you -hic- have a thing for someone. A very specific -hic- someone.” 

“Shhhhh!” 

Garrus shook his head, “Okay, ladies. Bed.” 

Garrus picked Tali up as Thane lifted Shepard. The two left the room and boarded the elevator. They went to Tali’s area first. The two had quieted down and seemed to be fast asleep. Garrus peeked at Shepard. She was curled into Thane’s chest, her face in the crook of his neck. He watched her move, resettling herself in his arms, but saw no reaction from the assassin. Which didn’t say much considering how much self-control the man had. Garrus felt the elevator reach the floor and stepped out. He turned to see the doors closing and Thane giving him a short nod. He took Tali to her bed and laid her down. He grabbed her blankets to cover her. 

“Garrus?” 

“Yes, Tali?” 

“You like Shepard, don’t you?”

“Of course. We are best friends.” 

“Nooooo. I mean really like.” 

Garrus cocked his head slightly, “I don’t…” 

“You want her.” Tali giggled. 

“I… well… I mean…” Garrus shook his head. Not like she would remember this tomorrow, “Yes. Go to sleep.” 

Tali giggled once more as Garrus walked away. Garrus sat on the mess decks sipping his drink. Thane had not returned to his room. Which meant he was still with Shepard. Garrus emitted a low growl. The urge to go up there and find out what was going on ate at him. What if he was trying something… forcing her. He blew out a frustrated breath. Thane was not one of those people. Not like him and Kaidan. Garrus dropped his head to the table. No. Unlike the animal that he and Kaidan were, Thane would never do something like that to her. He moved from the table and headed to the battery, mumbling to himself.

Thane placed Shepard on her bed, removed her boots and set them aside. He lifted his head to find Shepard watching him, "Is everything okay, Shepard?" 

"Thane, what is something you wish you had done since finding out about your illness?"

"A fascinating question. It sounds like you have something on your mind."

"I... I do."

"Then a piece of advice, yes?"

"Sure." 

"Honesty, Shepard. Don't wait."

Shepard's eyes narrowed, "How-." 

She saw the sly smirk grace his lips, "Goodnight, Shepard."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope this helps clear up some confusion. I promise this is a Garrus and Shep fic. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed it. I hope to update again soon!


	21. Typical Shepard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Collectors. Illusive Man is full of shite. Shepard being Shepard, but with upgrades. We can rebuild her, we have the technology.

Shepard stood behind Joker as the ship made its approach, “We have a visual on the Collector ship, Commander.”

“Scans, EDI?”

“Very low emissions. Passive infrared temperatures suggest most systems are offline. Thrusters are cold.”

A look of doubt sat on Joker’s face, “That thing is massive. How the hell did the turians take it out?”

“Radar scans do not detect any hull breaches on the side facing us. I detect no mass effect field distortions. It appears the drive core is offline."

“I’m gonna say it. Trap.” Joker glanced up at Shepard who did not indicate that she disagreed with the statement, making Joker more worried about the operation. “Rendezvous in 30 seconds, Commander. Good luck.”

The team jumped out of the shuttle and studied their surroundings.

Garrus’ eyes swept over the entrance of the ship, “Looks like a giant hive. Rachni maybe?”

“Never seen a ship like this before.” Grunt added.

It did look like some insect nest. From EDI’s scan, the ship was the same one that was at Horizon.

“Maybe the defense towers softened it for the turians.” Shepard doubted it the moment she said it. “The missing colonists might be aboard. If they’re still alive.”

There were piles of discarded bodies and empty containers. The most astonishing was the discovery of a Collector. Shepard uploaded the info to EDI to investigate. The information that EDI gave was worse than experimentation on their own and humanity.

“My god. The Protheans didn’t vanish. They’re working for the Reapers.”

“These are no longer Protheans, Shepard. Their genes show distinct signs of an extensive genetic rewrite. The Reapers have repurposed them to suit their needs.”

What had happened to the Protheans wasn’t a complete extinction, but enslavement and reprogramming of creatures that no longer resemble Protheans, except in basic genetic code. The squad moved through the hive, noting the pods hanging not only from the ceiling, but the walls. No life remained in the pods, and there were many, too many to count.

Shepard stopped behind a barrier when Joker’s voice came over comms, “Commander. You gotta hear this. On a hunch, I asked EDI to run an analysis on this ship.”

“I compared the EM profile against data recorded by the original Normandy two years ago. They are an exact match.”

Garrus and Shepard stared at one another through their helmets, “The same ship dogging me for two years? Way beyond coincidence.”

“Something doesn’t add up, Commander. Watch your back.”

The team entered a large open area of the ship.

“This is unbelievable.” Garrus stood stunned.

“They could take every human in the Terminus and not have enough for these pods.” Grunt’s observation made everyone come to the same conclusion.

“They are going to target Earth.” Garrus voiced everyone’s thought.

“Not if we stop them.” Shepard, with new determination, moved quickly through the room and cautiously approached the terminal. “Stay focused.”

Once the mining process was in progress, everything started going to hell.

“Of course, this was a damn trap! Let’s get the hell out of here!” Shepard commanded, but the terminal platform began to move, making everyone stumble when it came to a stop. Shepard toppled over on Garrus

“Uh, Shepard.”

“I’m going. I’m going.” She rolled off him, and Grunt helped him to his feet. The Collectors moved in on the platform.

“Incoming!” Garrus yelled as he rolled behind a barrier.

More of the larger scion husks moved in to attack. Grunt was becoming exhausted, but he didn't stop and continued to push through.

The scion aimed for him, “Grunt!” Shepard used her biotics to pull him back behind the barrier. The shot moved to her and sent her careening into a nearby barrier.

“Shepard!” Garrus and Grunt yelled.

“I’m fine. Grunt recoup before going back out. Garrus keep shooting.”

The two gave her a nod and kept firing. After applying some medi gel, she joined them, throwing more of them around with her biotics and allowing the other two to get shots in on the creatures.

With the fighting complete, Shepard checked in with EDI and Joker. Everyone was okay, but the turian signal was from the Collectors. According to EDI, the Illusive Man would not have confused the signal for a genuine distress signal.

“He knew it was a trap? Why would he send us into a trap?”

Shepard stared at the console, controlling her urge to obliterate it. “That son of a bitch. He sent us right into Collector hands.”

“Why? We’re part of the Cerberus clan.”

Garrus turned to Grunt, “No, Grunt, we aren’t. We are clan Shepard. Cerberus can’t be trusted.”

Grunt paused for a moment and then nodded, accepting the clarification.

“Uh… Commander. I hate to break up the party, but we’ve got another problem. The Collector ship is powering up.”

“Damn, it! Move out!” Shepard ran from the platform, with Garrus and Grunt following.

Miranda attempted to waylay Shepard the moment the Normandy was out of harm’s way.

Shepard rounded on her, “No. Nope. Don’t even. Don’t want to hear it. Don’t care. Walk away. Just walk away.”

Miranda continued her advancement, “Shepard. There has to be an explanation. If you would stop and just-.”

Garrus sensed her anger before she reacted. Shepard’s body was enveloped in a mix of blue and purple energy. It was exciting to see as Garrus had never witnessed the purple color in another biotic. Miranda stared her down and powered her biotics up as well.

“Stand down…” Shepard’s voice had taken on a low, eerie tone. It was almost like the subharmonics of a turian. The deep sound may not have been noticeable to the humans, but Garrus heard it quite clearly. A quick glance at Thane and he knew the assassin had heard it too.

“I’m trying to talk to you, Shepard. Just listen.” Miranda sent a shock, hoping to get her attention.

Shepard made no reaction. “Stand down, Miranda. I’m warning you.”

Miranda glared at Shepard, “I will when you listen to me.”

Shepard turned away from her and Miranda took that moment to try and contain Shepard. But the attack was swatted aside, and Shepard retaliated by enveloping her in a barrier. The woman, while a powerful biotic in her own right, struggled, but realized it was futile. Her eyes widened as she had realized that Shepard outpowered her, significantly.

“I said no. He put my team, my friends, in danger. No explanation could ever justify it, yet you stand here and defend him. I provided you with assistance. I considered you one of us and yet you are willing to accept a simple explanation for what happened. You are willing to attack me to make me listen.”

“Shepard, I-.”

“I said… I. Don’t. Want. To. Hear it!” Shepard cut off her voice preventing her from talking further.

Garrus became worried that she would cut off the woman’s air supply and approached carefully. He reached out to her, her biotic power sending a rush of energy through him. “Shepard…”

She turned her eyes to him. The green eyes he knew, were being swirled by blue power. He was mesmerized and aroused at the picture in front of him. He watched as the realization of what was happening crossed her face. She turned back to Miranda and let her drop to her feet. Shepard waited for her to stabilize before dropping the barrier.

“I’m sorry-.”

Miranda held her hand up, “No, Commander. I’m sorry. You’re right. I should not have acted in that manner. Nothing could explain what he did. He put all of us in danger. I… just didn’t…”

Shepard walked up to her, “I know. I wouldn’t want to either if it was someone I worked with or for. We are all safe though. I’ll go deal with him on comms and find out what is going on.” Shepard grabbed her shoulders, “I’m sorry.”

Miranda smiled at her and nodded. Shepard walked off, and Miranda looked over at Garrus whose attention was obviously elsewhere.

“Thanks, Garrus.”

Garrus shifted his eyes to Miranda, “Yeah. Yeah…” He walked off to the battery, still dazed, but heard Grunt roar, “That was awesome. I knew my battlemaster was the strongest!”   

Shepard sat in the empty mess deck. Thane appeared and took a seat next to her. The quiet that seemed to always be present around him soothed Shepard. She watched as he folded his hands, saying nothing as he joined her.

“Hi, Thane.”

“Good evening, Shepard. Are you well?”

He heard her exasperated sigh, “Yeah. I guess. I don’t know.”

“Would you like to sit in observation and I can fix you something to drink. It could help you relax, you do appear stressed and exhausted. Have you not been sleeping well?”

Shepard smiled at him, “No. Not really. And that sounds like a good idea, Thane.”

The two moved to the observation lounge. Shepard collapsed onto the couch and watched as Thane created a cocktail for her.

“Didn’t know you knew how to bartend, Mr. Krios.”

He chuckled slightly before responding, “You tend to learn some things while being an assassin. Blending in tends to work well for many missions.”

Thane brought the mixed drinks to the couch and handed her a reddish, green cocktail. Shepard stared at the beverage for a moment.

“Let me know if you find it enjoyable.”

Shepard took a sip of the colorful mixture, “Wow. That is good. I can’t taste the alcohol at all.” Her eyes narrowed at him, “How did you know?”

Thane tilted his head, “How did I know what, Shepard?”

“That I don’t like the taste of alcohol.” She watched a smirk appear on his lips, “I am an assassin. It is my job to know things about people.”

Shepard laughed, “Well bravo, my good sir. Bravo.”

Thane gave a small bow at her praise. “How are you and the Cerberus operative, Miranda? I do recall seeing quite the display.”

Shepard took another drink as Thane joined her on the couch.

“I guess we’re okay.” Shepard rubbed her neck, “I didn’t mean for it to escalate. I was… I was just so angry. At Cerberus. At the Illusive Man. However, I also didn’t expect her to try and detain me on my ship.”

She glanced at Thane and saw his dark eyes quietly watching her. “I didn’t realize what I was doing. I mean I did and didn’t. You know?” She laid her head against the top of the sofa.

“I do.” Was his simple reply.

“It could have gone south real quick. I don’t think I could have forgiven myself for it.”

“It could have, but Garrus was able to pull you from the moment.”

“Yeah.”

“It was quite a display, though. The power you wielded was amazing. It was… an arousing and hypnotic experience.”

Shepard turned her head to him. He was staring at his drink as if he was thinking back to what had happened.

“Arousing and hypnotic. Not something I usually hear to describe my actions. Destructive. Stupid. Brave. Crazy. Those are the usual terms.”

She laughed and stared back at the ceiling. “Now the stuff I’ve seen you do. That is arousing and hypnotic. So smooth and silent in the execution. But also, fast. So damn fast and accurate.”

Thane’s eyes moved to her face. He saw the smile on her face as she explained his actions and behavior in the field.

“Out of the field you’re still amazing. So freaking quiet! Kind of drives me crazy. I feel like eyes are on me and I see nothing. But next thing I know, poof! There you are.”

She heard a deep rumbling laugh come from him, “I do apologize. I do not mean to scare or cause you discomfort. It is in my nature to act in that manner. Would you prefer me to be louder, perhaps like Grunt or Jack? I could stomp around or yell obscenities through the ship as I move about.”

Shepard bent forward, slapping her knee as she laughed. “I don’t think it is possible to be as loud as Grunt and yelling obscenities does not suit such a proper and polite assassin as yourself. Three words I never expected to be in the same sentence.”

Shepard had drunk two or three, or was it four? Maybe five… of his creations and was feeling much more relaxed than before.

She moved a bit closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder, “You know. You… you were right. I feel less stressed.”

Thane placed his arm across the top of the couch as she settled herself into him. “That is good, Shepard. I think the one you have is to be the last one for the evening.”

Shepard pouted, “Fine. Party pooper.”

The two said nothing, and it was not long before he could hear her breathing settle.

“Shepard?” He whispered.

“Mmmm…”

She had passed out. Thane smirked a bit. He knew how stressed she had become and he felt better knowing she had relaxed and her spirits were back up after what had happened. He heard the doors open and knew it was Garrus that entered. Garrus stopped when he saw the image in front of him. He opened his mouth to speak, but Thane put his fingers to his lips. Thane moved slightly, but Shepard did not respond. He carefully picked her up, cradling her against his chest.

He moved around the couch, “I am taking her to her quarters. She is quite exhausted, and I do not want her to be disturbed further.”

Shepard rubbed her head into the crook of Thane’s neck and released a contented sigh. Thane and Garrus locked eyes for a moment, but Garrus moved aside to allow him to pass. Thane continued to the elevator, disappearing from Garrus’ eyesight. Garrus sniffed the air after Thane left, his hands flexing subconsciously as he turned swiftly around and headed back to the battery.

The Normandy had docked at the Citadel to locate their final team member.

“So, we are going to find some famous thief, which involves you talking to an advertisement screen?” Garrus peered dubiously at the machine.“I know you’re crazy and all, but I think this crosses into the realm of you needing to be in a padded room.”

Shepard chuckled, “What’s wrong with a padded room?”

Garrus and Thane watched as Shepard conversed with the screen and shook their heads as others noticed.

“I think if it wasn’t Shepard, she would have been escorted out of here after the first couple of minutes.” Garrus scanned the crowd as he spoke.

“Indeed. Although you glaring at those watching I believe also prevents such an incident from occurring.”

Garrus flicked his eyes towards Thane, “I’m not glaring.”

Thane shifted his head slightly, so he was able to look at Garrus while keeping Shepard in his line of sight, “You have sent the last two individuals darting away when they made eye contact with you. I do not believe it was because you are armed, either.” Thane added before he could object.

Garrus watched a man move close to Shepard, but looked back at Thane and Garrus before quickly leaving.

“I think it has to do with both of us.”

“Both of us? I do not see how I am making anyone leave.”

Garrus chuckled, “Seriously?”

Thane looked at him questioningly.

“Thane you look like someone who could kill another with a simple look. I wouldn’t go up to someone that you were watching.”

Thane looked back at Shepard, “If you say, Garrus. I do not watch her as I would a target. I keep an eye on her because she is the commander and part of my job is to protect her.”

Garrus tried to read the assassin, but found nothing. “What is the other part?”

Thane’s eyes never left Shepard, “The other part-.”

“Okay. Well, that was weird. But we got her.” Shepard interrupted the conversation and then paused as she looked between the two, “Did I miss something?”

Garrus and Thane shook their heads, “Nothing at all, Shepard. Shall we leave?”

Shepard knew she missed something, but let it go. “Yeah. Garrus are you ready to go take care of your business?”

“Yes. Everything is ready.”

“Good. I told Kasumi we have to take care of your mission first. Not like she had a choice.”

Garrus smirked, “Typical Shepard.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, but I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please leave comments, questions, or concerns if you like! I appreciate the kudos and comments you all leave me. Makes me want to keep going with this fanfic. Also, Happy New Year and I hope everyone's year has started off well.


	22. Murderous Intent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Forger. Volus? Sure why not. Garrus wants to murder everyone. Heavy mechs suck.

Shepard glanced at Garrus as they moved to the location of the forger. To someone who didn’t know him, he appeared calm. Just a turian strolling through the Citadel. Shepard knew better. He almost vibrated with pent-up fury, impatience within his cold, blue eyes. They moved through the Citadel finally reaching the area where Garrus was to meet with the forger. 

“This looks like the place. The forger’s thugs should be inside.” 

If she hadn’t of noticed his emotions earlier, his tone gave it away. Shepard thought of the moment with the doctor and his behavior then, but this time… it was different. Sure, he was anxious to find the doctor and take care of him, but not on the scale that Garrus was at now. She wasn’t sure what to expect from him, but he was her best friend and she would be there for him. 

As they passed through the door, two krogan stood waiting. They did a once over of the team before finally signaling to a volus who was positioned out of sight of Shepard. Shepard lifted an eyebrow as the volus approached her, the urge to laugh at the situation was overshadowed by the purpose of their visit. 

“Fade? You’re not quite how I imagined you.” 

“Looks can be deceiving.” The volus breathed. 

Shepard felt that something was amiss about the meeting. 

“So… which one of you wants to disappear?” 

“I’d rather see you make someone reappear.” Garrus’ voice was surprisingly calm, but Shepard knew he was getting antsy. 

“Ah… that’s not the service we provide.” 

Shepard shifted her weight to her right side and crossed her arms, waiting for Garrus to act. 

“Make an exception. Just this once.” Garrus unholstered his weapon and aimed it at the volus. 

“Damn it. Quick… shoot them! Shoot them, you lumbering mountains!” The volus puffed through his mask. 

Thane aimed his weapon as the krogan turned theirs on the squad. 

“Why don’t you two find somewhere else to skulk?” The krogan looked at one another and shrugged before leaving. 

“Just like that? You’re not getting paid for this!” The volus yelled at them, “What’s the point of hiring protection if they won’t protect you?” 

“Down to business. We’re looking for someone. A client of yours.” Shepard stalked forward as she spoke. The volus was quick to explain the situation and where Fade was located. Of course, Garrus’ gun being pointed in the volus’ face helped.

The team used the rapid transport shuttle to fly to Fade’s site. As they exited the shuttle, the crew were met by Harkin and his hired mercs. 

“Oh look, a welcoming party.” Shepard joked as they approached Harkin. 

“Shepard?” Harkin was confused, but fear quickly set in, “Don’t just stand there, stop them. Stop them!” He demanded as he ran away. 

“Run all you want, Harkin. We’ll find you!” Garrus shouted. 

The mercs weren’t the only thing waiting for Shepard and her team; mechs had joined the fray too. The team finally reached the office of the cargo lift area, and Shepard lowered the window of the room. 

“So, Harkin’s finally gone completely bad.” Shepard watched Garrus make his way to the window. 

“He was always a pain in the ass. But I’m in no mood for his games. If he doesn’t cooperate, I’ll beat him within an inch of his life.” 

“You seem to be getting tense, Garrus.” She was stating the obvious, she knew, but it was beginning to worry her. 

“Harkin may know why Sidonis wanted to disappear. If so, he knows why we’re here, and I don’t want him tipping Sidonis off.” Garrus continued to scan the room. “Did you see that?” 

He and Shepard took cover. “I saw something. And I don’t think it is friendly.” 

“He’s getting ready for us.” 

“I have to ask Garrus.” 

Garrus glanced up at her, “What?” 

“What are you going to do if Harkin doesn’t cooperate?” 

“He’s a real criminal now. Working for the Blue Suns. I should just shoot him on sight.” Shepard waited for the but. “But I need him alive so that I won’t do any permanent damage. Just enough to loosen his tongue.” 

Shepard continued to ask him questions, and it made her more worried about the situation. “Garrus, do you really think killing Sidonis will make things right?” 

Garrus sighed, he knew she would eventually get to this question, “I know you don’t like it, Shepard, but I have to do this.” 

“Is there no other way?” 

Garrus shrugged, “Maybe. But this is personal. I’ll pull the trigger. And I’ll live with the consequences. All I’m asking is that you help me find him.” Garrus searched her face for an indication of her feelings on the subject, but her face gave nothing away. 

Those few words 'live with the consequences', didn’t make Shepard feel better about the situation. Thane kept an eye on the doors, but watched the exchange between the two. He saw the look of worry cross Shepard’s face as Garrus turned to look out the window. She said nothing about Garrus’ response, but it was clear to Thane that she did not agree. 

“Let’s move out and be prepared for heavy mechs.” 

“Right behind you.” Garrus moved from his cover and followed Shepard through the door with Thane taking up rear security.

Harkin took to the speakers as Shepard moved through the cargo facility. As they moved closer to the office that Harkin waited in, heavy mechs descended upon them. 

“Oh crap. Two heavy mechs, incoming!” Garrus warned as he moved behind cover. 

“Of course. Nothing is easy with you Garrus.” 

The heavy mechs were more difficult than the mercs they had faced earlier. Utilizing cover to take them out seemed to be the best option. 

“Keep your distance and stay behind cover!” Shepard commanded as she fired upon the mechs. One of the blasts took down Thane’s shields. 

“Damn.” He moved to another position to recover, but one of the mechs had taken aim. 

“Thane!” Shepard used her biotics to rush him and block the incoming hit. She grasped Thane and slammed into the ground, rolling with him till they fell off the platform. 

“Shepard?” Garrus couldn’t see the two, but continued his attack on the remaining mech. 

Shepard landed on the bottom, with Thane on top of her. He used his arms to push himself up, “Shepard? Are you okay?” 

Shepard groaned and opened her eyes, “Yeah. If it isn’t a krogan, it’s a mech.” 

Thane moved off her and helped her behind cover. “Wait for your shields to recover. I will assist Garrus.” Thane reached out and grabbed her chin, pulling her face close to his, “I appreciate what you did, but it was dangerous. Please, do not risk yourself like that.” 

Shepard smirked, “You’re part of my team and a friend. It comes with the territory. But I’ll try not to. No promises.” 

“You are a frustrating woman, Shepard. Incredible, but frustrating.” Thane smirked before jumping over the platform to rush into the battle.

With the last mech down, Shepard sent quiet ques to Thane and Garrus as they approached the office. Shepard and Thane moved around the corner, aiming their weapons at Harkin who began walking back towards the other door. 

“You were close, but not close enough.” Harkin sneered at her before turning towards the door. 

Garrus waited in the doorway for him, using the butt of his gun to hit him in his chin, knocking him back. Shepard watched as Garrus grabbed Harkin and slammed him into the wall, his arm against his throat. 

“So, Fade… couldn’t make yourself disappear, huh?” 

Shepard heard his voice reach down into deeper octaves as he spoke to Harkin. The tones spoke of anger, but… excitement? Garrus was enjoying the pain he was causing to Harkin. Shepard found it interesting as Harkin was one of those characters that an individual would feel better after punching him. Shepard had wanted to when she first met him and his depraved, smirk. However, this seemed different as Garrus didn’t seem content with a punch or two. No, if Shepard understood the tone and look, murderous intent had taken over, and it would be the only thing to appease him. At least at that moment. 

“Come on, Garrus – we can work this out. Whaddaya need?” 

Shepard stood next to Thane, “This isn’t going to go well.” Thane could see the subtle change in Garrus as his anger began to work its way through. 

“No. It won’t.” 

Shepard and Thane watched as Garrus and Harkin talked. Well, Garrus threatened and Harkin would get hit for not responding. 

“I’m not telling you squat.” 

“Harkin, this doesn’t have to be hard.” Shepard moved to stand next to Garrus. 

“Screw you.” 

Thane shook his head. The man was unquestionably dumb. 

“I don’t give out client information. It’s bad for business.” 

Garrus kneed Harkin in the stomach, making him drop to the floor. “You know what else is bad for business?” Garrus moved his foot to press on Harkin’s neck, “A broken neck.” 

Shepard watched Harkin struggle, but she was more worried about the look on Garrus’ face. 

“All right! All right! Get off me!” 

Shepard saw that Garrus wasn’t going to move and reached out to grab his shoulder. Garrus shrugged her off, but moved back from Harkin. 

“Terminus really changed you, huh, Garrus?” 

“No, but Sidonis… opened my eyes. Now arrange a meeting.” 

Harkin spoke through the terminal to set up the encounter, but Shepard was more focused on Garrus as he removed his pistol and contemplated it. 

Harkin made a motion to leave, but Garrus seized him by his shirt, pulling him close, “I don’t think so. You’re a criminal now, Harkin.” 

“So what… you’re just going to kill me? That’s not your style, Garrus.” 

Garrus paused for a moment before releasing him. “Kill you? No. But I don’t mind slowing you down a little.” 

Garrus aimed at Harkin’s legs, but Shepard grabbed his arm, “You don’t need to shoot him. He won’t be able to hide from C-Sec now.” 

Garrus struggled with Shepard before finally snatching his arm away. He glared at her as he spoke, “I guess it’s your lucky day.” 

Garrus waited for her to turn away and headbutted Harkin. “I didn’t shoot him.” 

“Picking up my bad habits too I see.”

The atmosphere in the shuttle was tense. 

“He deserved to be punished.” 

“I agree. But this isn’t Omega, Garrus.” 

“I know that, Shepard. But we could have still dealt with him.” 

“I’m worried about you, Garrus.” 

Garrus turned his attention to the window, “What do you want from me, Shepard? What would you do if someone betrayed you?” 

“Well, Kaidan did. Illusive man did, but then again, I figured he would. The Council has.” 

“Yeah, but they didn’t kill your friends.” 

“No. But I didn’t let it change me.” 

Garrus turned back to Shepard. “I would’ve said the same thing before it happened to me.” 

“I’m just saying we can go a different route than what you have planned.” 

Garrus growled in disagreement, “Who’s going to bring Sidonis to justice if I don’t? Nobody else knows what he’s done. Nobody else cares. I don’t see any other options.” 

Thane had been listening to them go back and forth, “You could allow him to atone for his transgressions, Garrus.” 

“That’s an option. At least let me talk to him.” 

Garrus leaned back. “I don’t think he cares to atone, but talk all you want because it won’t change my mind. I don’t care what his reasons were; he screwed us… he deserves to die.” 

Garrus surveyed the area, “I’ll set up over there. Give me a signal, so I know you’re ready, and I’ll take the shot.” 

“What will you do, Shepard?” 

Shepard caught Thane’s dark gaze in the mirror, “I’ll figure it out when I get down there. Either way, this isn’t going to go well.” Thane nodded in agreement.

Thane moved away from Shepard, but remained close by to keep an eye on the interaction. Garrus’ mandibles twitched as Shepard waved Sidonis over. He was going to be able to end his search and finally honor his fallen comrades. 

“You’re in my shot. Move to the side.” 

“Listen, Sidonis. I’m here to help you.” 

Sidonis leaned into Shepard, “Don’t ever say that name aloud.” 

“I’m a friend of Garrus’. He wants you dead, but I’m hoping that’s not necessary.” 

Sidonis took a slow step backward, “Garrus? This has to be some joke.” 

“Damn it, Shepard. If he moves, I’m taking the shot.” 

“You’re not kidding, are you? Screw this. I’m not sticking around here to find out. Tell Garrus I had my own problems…” 

Shepard’s hand began to glow, and she held Sidonis in place with her biotics. “Don’t move.” 

Sidonis began to struggle, “Let me go.” 

“Look you move away from me, and he will shoot you. So, shut up, don’t move, and answer my damn questions or I lift you up, so he can get a better shot.” Shepard glared at the frantic turian.

“Fuck. Fine. What do you want to know?” 

“Why?” 

Sidonis sighed, “I… I didn’t have a choice.” 

Garrus came over comms, “Everyone has a choice.” 

“I’m not going to point out the irony in that statement,” Shepard responded dryly. 

“They threatened to kill me if I didn’t cooperate. What was I supposed to do?” 

“Let me take the shot, Shepard. He’s a damn coward.” 

“Come on. If you don’t have something better than, ‘I had to save my own skin’ I’m going to walk away.” Shepard followed him as he moved.

“I know what I did. I know they died because of me, and I have to live with that.” Sidonis leaned on the railing, “I wake up every night… sick… and sweating. Each of their faces staring at me… accusing me.” 

Garrus moved from his scope as he listened to Sidonis’ explanation. A small voice in the back of his mind spoke of the nightmares he had, comparing the two turians. The situations were different. The voice responded with how Garrus had thought about death after Shepard had died. Different. Completely Different. Garrus squashed the voice. 

If Sidonis wanted it over, Garrus was more than happy to deliver, “Just give me the chance.” 

“You’ve got to let it go, Garrus. He’s already paying for his crime.” 

“He hasn’t paid enough. He still has his life…” 

Shepard peeked over at Garrus’ position, “Look at him, Garrus. He’s not alive; there’s nothing left to kill. He is suffering more this way.” 

Garrus dropped his gaze down, “My men… they deserved better.” 

“Tell Garrus… I guess there’s nothing I can say to make it right…” 

Garrus shook his head, “Just… go. Tell him to go.” 

“He’s giving you a second chance, Sidonis. Don’t waste it.” 

Sidonis moved away from the railing and closer to Shepard, “I’ll try, Garrus. I’ll make it up to you, somehow. Thank you for talking to him.” 

Shepard turned away and headed for the shuttle. 

Thane quickly caught up with Sidonis, “Shepard has given you a great opportunity. Atone for your transgressions. Leave this world a bit brighter than before.” 

Sidonis met the drell’s dark eyes, “I will. She’s an amazing woman.” Sidonis turned to see Shepard walking away. 

“Indeed,” Thane responded. 

When Sidonis turned back, Thane was gone. He glanced around the area and found him next to Shepard.

 Shepard stepped out of the shuttle and Garrus rushed up to her, “I know you want to talk about this, but I don’t. Not yet.” 

“I can respect that.” 

Garrus didn’t want to talk about it, but he found himself explaining it anyway. “My men… they deserved better. They deserved to be avenged.”

“I understand, Garrus.” 

“Seeing him through my sights, while he was talking. I could still see some good in him. It’s so much easier to see the world in black and white.” Garrus dropped his eyes from Shepard, “Gray… I don’t know what to do with gray.” 

“You’ve got to go with your instincts.” 

Garrus smirked, “My instincts are what got me into this mess.” 

Shepard laughed and patted his shoulder, “Don’t be so hard on yourself. My instincts got me into a terrorist group and my team going on a suicide mission.” 

Garrus chuckled, “Thanks, Shepard. For everything.” 

Shepard tilted her head, “Does that include the suicide missions?” 

“We can discuss that later.” Garrus sighed, “Let’s go. I need some distance from this place.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait. Finally moved into my new home! Hope it was a good chapter!


	23. Testing Spectre Status Limits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> G14 Classified. Night out. Don't mess with THE Commander Shepard. Realizations.

“Let’s head back to the ship. I think we will take a couple of days before leaving. Have to restock and do some work on the ship anyway.”

“I could use some shore time,” Garrus commented.

“Going to get some stress relief in?” Shepard chuckled.

Garrus quickly peeked at Shepard, “Maybe. See what the night holds. I do drive the women wild.”

Shepard stopped to glance at him and Thane, “I don’t know about that.” She gave Thane a slow once over, from head to toe, “I think the assassin might beat you on that.”

Thane looked confused as his dark eyes moved between the two, “It is not my intention to… drive the women wild, Shepard.”

Shepard smirked, “Well, you might not intend to, but I can guarantee you that there are many women on the ship who are wild about you.”

Thane blinked both eyelids at her, “I see.”

Shepard smiled, “Thane, you are adorable.” She saw him begin to object and held up her hand, “Yeah, yeah. Not something used to describe an assassin, but one that the women on the ship have used for you. Well, except Jack. Hers are a bit more explicit.”

Garrus laughed, “I would love to hear that description.”

Shepard turned to Garrus, “Oh she has used some for you too, raptor chicken.”

Garrus stopped laughing, “What?”

Shepard smirked at him, “Oh yes, she has an interest in the big, bad turian too.”

“What words do you use to describe us, Shepard?”

Shepard turned to Thane, “Well…”

Garrus crossed his arms, cocking a hip out, “Yeah, Commander. What do you say about us?”

Her eyes shifted between them, "Classified information, boys.” Shepard winked before spinning on her heel and marching away, leaving the two stunned.

“Interesting woman,” Thane remarked.

“Quite,” Garrus added.

Shepard informed the rest of the crew of the shore leave and headed to her quarters but was waylaid by Tali, “Shepard!”

“Hey, Tali. What’s up?”

“We were thinking of having a girls’ night and wanted to know… do you want to join us?”

Shepard cocked her head, “Us?”

Jack came around the corner, “Yeah. Us. You know the girls on the ship. Even cheerleader is joining. And we promise we won’t do anything to piss you off or ruin shore leave.”

Shepard smirked, “Well, then. I guess I can’t say no.”

Tali clapped her hands and hugged Shepard. “It’s going to be so much fun!”

Shepard released her friend, “What brought this on anyway?”

“Oh, well, the guys are having a guys’ night, so we decided to have a girls’ night.”

Shepard saw Garrus approach out of her peripheral, “Guys’ night?”

Garrus smirked, “Oh yeah. Going to be wild. I invited the master of sneakiness, but he is going to see his son.”

“I am not the master of sneakiness.”

Shepard and Garrus flinched at his voice, “You just proved his statement, Thane.”

Thane turned his head to Shepard, “It is not my intention to scare you, Shepard.”

“I know, I know.” She turned to face him, “Enjoy your time with your son and tell him I’m sorry for punching him.”

Thane chuckled, “Could have been worse, Shepard. So, I thank you.”

Shepard shook her head as a smile formed, “I’ve never had a parent thank me for punching their kid.”

“Considering Kolyat could have died, I’d thank you too,” Garrus stated.

“Either way. Tell him I’m sorry.” Thane nodded.

“Well, I have to go get ready. I’ll meet you guys in a few minutes.” Tali squealed in excitementmeand Jack rolled her eyes.

The girls had chosen one of the better clubs on the Citadel. It wasn’t sleazy, but it wasn’t overly snooty either. A happy medium. Shepard looked over to see the men had obtained a large table for themselves and she raised her glass at them.

“So, who is sleeping with Thane because I want details.” Jack threw back a shot of some asari alcohol that Shepard couldn’t name.

“Not me.”

“Me either.”

“You would have known if I had.”

“Too scared.”

It seemed to be that no one had slept with the mysterious and sexy assassin.

“Damn. Have any of you tried to?” Again, the consensus was no.

“Well, guess I’ll have to be the first. Never slept with a drell. Or one that could snap my neck with a thought. What about Garrus?”

“I tried. No dice.”

“Again, you would know if I succeeded.”

“Nope.”

“I wish.”

Shepard said nothing

“What about you, Shepard?”

“No.”

“I call bullshit on that. That can’t be possible. You two eye fuck each other daily and flirt all the damn time. Sickening.”

“I said the same thing,” Miranda commented.

Shepard finished her drink, “We are friends, guys. And I most certainly do not eye fuck him.”

“Shepard I’ve seen you eye fuck him and Thane. You can’t lie to me.” Jack smirked as she threw back another shot.

“Horseshit! Flag. Ten yards.” Shepard jested.

“What does flag and ten yards mean?” Tali asked.

“It refers to football on Earth. Ref throws a flag on bad plays and gives yardage as a consequence.”

“Why are there flags? What is football? And how are yards a consequence?”

Garrus heard Jack yell some obscenity and glanced over at the women. He could make out some words between the booming music and the talk between the guys.

“Hey! Vakarian! What are you staring at?” One of the crew members asked.

“I’d say it’s Shepard,” Zaeed answered as he slung back another drink.

“How is it you two haven’t gotten together?” Joker gasped, “You two did, didn’t you. And you didn’t tell me? Blasphemy!” He shouted. 

“Wait, you did sleep with her? I want details.” Zaeed glanced over at Shepard before turning back to Garrus, “Every detail.” 

Garrus swirled his drink, “I haven’t slept with Shepard. We are friends.” 

The look from the men around him said they didn’t believe him, “I’m serious. Besides, I think her interests are in someone else.” 

“Bet its Thane.” Joker waved dismissively, “All the girls are going gaga over him.” His voice went up a couple of octaves as he spoke, “Oh, he is so mysterious. He is so sexy. He must be so strong. Bet his bones don’t break easily.” 

Garrus raised a brow plate at Joker, “Okay, maybe they didn’t say the last part, but I listen to the comms system, and I hear the conversations. By the way, Jack, Chambers, and a few other women want to get with you and Thane.” He added. 

“Yeah, a couple have tried.” Garrus slammed the rest of this drink. 

“And you haven’t taken them up on it? Ya sodding idiot.” 

Garrus glanced at Zaeed, “I’m not interested in humans. They don’t do anything for me.” 

Zaeed laughed, “Well, hell. Send ‘em our way.” 

Garrus turned to Joker, “How do you know it is Thane?” 

Joker snickered, “Are you serious? Her and every other female undress him with their eyes all the time. They do it to you too.” 

Garrus tilted his head, “No, they don’t.” 

Joker smacked his forehead, “Man, you are bad with human behavior. I should send you some vids.” 

Zaeed grunted, “I’ve seen the ones you look at. They ain’t helping him.” 

Garrus was immediately confused, “I’m not sure I want to know.” 

Zaeed turned to Garrus, “Well, there’s this one vid….”

The girls were a few drinks in, “Who wants to dance?” Tali stood next to the table. 

“I’ll go.” Miranda moved out of the booth. 

“Fuck it, I’ll go.” 

Tali turned to Shepard, “Come on.” 

“Shepard can’t dance, you know that.” 

Shepard raised a brow, “Oh really. Let’s go, Jack.” 

Miranda laughed, “This I have to see.” 

Garrus eyes followed the women as they moved to the dance floor. His eyes stayed on Shepard as she began to move, smiling at the other women. 

Jack’s mouth fell open slightly, “Well, shit. You got me, Shepard.” 

The women laughed as they joined together to dance. Garrus attempted to keep his attention on the conversation the other guys were having, but his eyes continued to return to the women. It was distracting to watch. She moved so fluidly, not the heavy grinding or dancing the asari or other club women were doing. He glanced over at Shepard and she winked at him. He immediately turned his gaze back to the table. 

“Damn. Shepard can dance.” Zaeed was eyeing Shepard as she did so. 

Joker stared briefly at the women, “Yeah. I didn’t think she could dance because the only time I saw her, she was dancing like an idiot. But it turns out she was joking around.” 

Garrus pushed down the growl that was building inside him as he watched Zaeed and some of the other crew ogled Shepard. 

“I suddenly feel the urge to join them.” One of the crew members declared. 

Garrus watched most of the men head to the dance floor. However, none had tried to approach Shepard. Garrus’ mandibles twitched a bit. None of them were brave enough to ask the great Commander Shepard to dance, he thought. Not even the mighty merc, Zaeed. 

“Not going to join, Garrus?” 

Garrus finished off his drink, “No. I’m good with watching.” 

Joker smirked, “Looking for a turian girl to take home? There are a couple of them that have been staring at you all night bro.” 

Garrus knew who he was talking about. He had seen it too. They were good looking and his usual type. He had thought about approaching them before, but the interest was a bit lacking. Garrus watched as a male turian approached Shepard. He placed a palm on her shoulder and she turned. He offered a hand to her and she smiled as she accepted it. Garrus began to growl, clenching his glass tightly. 

“Uh, you okay man?” 

Garrus snapped out of his stupor, “Yeah. Sorry.” He watched the other turian’s hands move around her waist, pulling her closer to him. However, the turian, and his traveling hands were interrupted by a human male, and surprisingly he stepped aside. The two were closer together than her and the turian had been. Moving almost as one. Would they be able to do that if they danced together? Garrus thought. He watched as the hands of the human male began to move up and down Shepard’s body. Garrus felt the urge to break the man’s arms. Shepard began to walk away with the man in tow. She waved at the women and headed out the door. Garrus felt anger and… jealousy? No. He had no reason to be jealous. Suddenly a female turian tapped him on his shoulder and smirked at him. Garrus stood and moved away from the table with her. 

“And brittle gets left behind. All alone. Forever.” Joker finished his drink and signaled the waitress for another.

Shepard tried to get into the mood with the guy, but was finding the whole situation to be lackluster. She stopped his roaming hands, “Sorry, guy. It just isn’t working.” 

The man moved back slightly, “What do you mean?” 

“I’m just not into.” 

He looked surprised for a moment before anger took over, “How are you not into it. You are the one who decided to take me home.” 

“What can I say. I’m not interested.” 

The guy sneered at her, “More interested in that turian huh?” 

“What are you talking about?” 

“The alien you were dancing with before. You prefer him over your own kind. Gross.” 

Shepard shoved him away from her, “No. You are gross, you prick.” 

The man reached for her, “I’ll show you gross.” 

Shepard’s biotics immediately powered up and she tossed him into a nearby wall. The man was stunned, “Shit. A biotic.” 

“That’s Commander Shepard to you, cretin.” 

The man's eyes widened. 

“I suggest you leave and think twice before attacking another woman. If I hear about it… Let’s just say, you will find out how far my Spectre status goes.” 

The man’s head nodded so fast Shepard thought it was going to fall off. He scrambled away and disappeared from her sight. She calmed down and decided to head back to her apartment.

The turian female was the kind he was usually attracted to, but he wasn’t enjoying himself. His mind returned to Shepard multiple times. He watched the other crew members leaving the club and decided to depart as well. He excused himself and saw the look of disappointment appear on the female’s face. He headed back to the Normandy and as he rounded the corner, a man crashed into him. It was the man Shepard had taken home.

“Uh, you okay?” 

There was a look of fear on the man’s face. “Yeah. Yeah.” 

“Weren’t you the guy that left with-.” 

“Commander Shepard. Commander fucking Shepard. She almost killed me. She’s a Spectre.” The man continued to babble. 

“Why aren’t you with her?” 

The guy didn’t look at Garrus, “No reason, she just kicked me out.” 

Garrus knew when someone was lying and this guy was easy to read. He became worried and raced to Shepard’s apartment. He banged on the door. 

“For fuck sake. Someone better be dead or so help me.” Shepard swung the door open and found Garrus staring at her with concern. “Where’s the fire, Chief?” She joked. 

Garrus pushed her aside and closed the door, “What happened?” He demanded. 

Shepard feigned ignorance, “What happened with what?” 

Garrus grabbed her shoulders, “You know exactly what I’m talking about.” He growled at her. 

She narrowed her eyes at him, “Why are you here?” 

Garrus released her and moved to the living room. Shepard followed him and crossed her arms. Garrus grabbed the turian liquor she had and began to chug it. 

He finally released the bottle, “I ran into that guy you took home.” 

“And?” 

“The man was a babbling idiot. Freaking out about, and I quote, ‘Commander fucking Shepard.’ I asked him what happened and I knew he was lying when he said you kicked him out.” Garrus turned his intense blue eyes on her, “So, what happened?” 

Shepard began to rub her neck, “Shit. Grab me a bottle and join me on the sofa.”

Garrus grabbed a bottle for her, finished off his and grabbed another. He handed it to her and she immediately took a mouthful of it. He took a seat next to her and waited. 

“We were… messing around and I lost interest in him.” 

“Why?” 

“I don’t know. It ended up being… boring. I wasn’t feeling even a flicker of excitement. So, I told him to stop.” She took another drink, “He wanted to know why and I told him. He couldn’t believe I was turning him down.” He heard her heave a sigh, “Then he started saying I was gross because I wanted the turian I had danced with before him.” 

“You are gross because you wanted a turian or because you wanted a turian over your own kind.” 

Shepard tilted her head, “I think it is both, to be honest. He didn’t really explain it. I told him he was gross and a prick. He then said, ‘I’ll show you gross’ and tried to attack me.” 

She felt Garrus tense up next to her, “And?” 

His subharmonics confused her as it wasn’t his usual voice, “My biotics flared and I tossed him aside. I threatened him that if I hear about him attacking another woman he would personally learn about my Spectre status.” 

Garrus settled back down, “No death or destruction?” 

Shepard chuckled, “No. Surprisingly. So, I went back home and was in the process of getting hammered before you interrupted.” 

Garrus put his hands up, “Pay no attention to me. Proceed forth with your drunken escapades.” 

Shepard laughed, “Well, I’m not going to be the only one drunk. Besides, I saw some turian women checking you out, what happened with that?”

Garrus took a large swig from his bottle, “One of them did approach me.” 

Shepard wiggled her eyebrows at him, “Oh, look at you getting lucky.” 

“Not exactly.” 

Shepard’s eyes widened slightly, “Oh no. Don’t tell me you left your date because of me again.” 

Garrus chuckled as he remembered that night, “No. I was already leaving and he ran into me on my way back to the Normandy. Quite literally.”

Shepard raised an eyebrow, “So, did you or didn’t you get with her?” 

Garrus raised his own brow plate, “Why so curious, Shepard? Are you concerned with my sex life or are you jealous?” 

Shepard snorted, “You wish. I just don’t want to be the reason you didn’t get laid. I’d feel bad.” 

Garrus shook his head, “No. It was my choice to leave and not get laid. Nothing to do with you. Contrary to popular belief, my life doesn’t revolve around you.” 

Shepard put a hand to her heart, “Garrus! How you hurt me!” 

Garrus laughed at her feigned expression of hurt.

Garrus and Shepard drank more and shared stories about their lives. “I… I’m very popular thank you very much.” Garrus smiled drunkenly at Shepard. 

“Thbbb, whatever.”  

“Hey! It’s true. According to uh… the pilot… Joker, you and the other ladies, undress Thane and I with your eyes all the time.” 

“Wh… what?” Shepard began laughing, “Jack said, something like that, but it was that I -hic- eye fuck you and Thane all the time.” 

Garrus stopped laughing, “What? What is an eye fuck? That sounds pain… painful.” Garrus was unsure if the redness was from the drink or her blushing.“

Well… it’s where you look at someone -hic- and imagine… imagine having sex with them.” 

Garrus tilted his head at her, “So, you think about having sex with Thane and me?” He paused, “At the same time?” 

Shepard began to laugh uncontrollably. Garrus didn’t see what was so funny. Shepard tried to stand and fell back down on Garrus, “Why -hic- why is the room moving? Make it stop.” 

Garrus looked down at her, “The room isn’t moving. You’re drunk, madam.” 

“I… I know what speak not of.” 

Garrus chuckled, “You can’t even form a sentence.” She sat up and tried to stand again, Garrus stood with her and the two steadied one another. 

“Okay, yeah the room is moving.” 

“Told ya. Let’s get to the room. I need to lay down.” Shepard and Garrus stumbled their way to the room and collapsed on the bed.

Garrus tossed his top aside and fell back onto the bed. Shepard was already under the covers, so he joined her. He placed his arm over her and she didn’t stiffen at his touch. He thought she was asleep, but felt her move closer to him. 

“You… you have an interesting smell.” 

“What?” 

She felt him move his head into her hair and take a deep breath. “Your scent is interesting.” 

“Is that normal for your species.” 

“Yes. We use scent and our subharmonics to communicate.” 

“Guess that explains what that other turian did.” 

Garrus tightened his grip on her. 

“Do humans have different scents to you?” 

She felt him nod, “Yeah. I know a few, like fear or excitement, but I didn’t really bother to learn others.” 

“That’s cool.” 

“How do you guys communicate?” 

Shepard thought about the question, “Well by voice, facial expression, touch, body language.” 

“So, how do you tell someone you are interested in them.” 

“You say something, or if you are trying to pick up someone, like say in a bar, you can flirt with them to see if they are interested before you offer to go any further. Different ways really.” 

“Too complicated.” 

Shepard yawned as sleep fell upon her, “Yeah. It’s complicated even if you are a human.”

“You never answered me, Shepard.” 

“Mmmm… answered what.” She yawned once more. 

“Do you think about having sex with me?” 

“You mean” yawn “You and Thane?” 

“Whatever.” 

“I could ask you the same about me….and… other women.” 

“I asked first.” 

“Honestly… I’ve thought… about it.” She was out. 

Garrus shook her lightly, “Shepard.” She moaned, but didn’t awaken. Damn it. 

“Yes, Shepard. I’ve thought about sex with you… often.” 

He pulled her a bit closer and shoved his face between her shoulder and neck and inhaled the scents surrounding her. He detected her, the bar, traces of the other women, and that scent that always made him react. Garrus groaned as he felt his body respond. His hips wanted to move into her and the compulsion to bite the curve of her neck was gnawing at him. He growled as he tampered the reaction down. However, Shepard let out another moan and it took more effort for him to resist his body's responses. “Damn it, Shepard.” He chuckled dryly. Whatever doubt he had was gone. He wanted her. Bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it has been some time since I posted, but I was dealing with moving, unpacking, and broken housing items. Not fun. I hope to keep this updated regularly once again. It may take a bit as the rest of the story I have to type out and redo portions of. I do hope you enjoyed the chapter. Next chapter will bring it together. Promise!


	24. Reservations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New day. Jealousy. Evening out. Moving right along!

Shepard woke up to find herself wrapped in Garrus’ arms and his face in her hair.

She attempted to move, but he tightened, “No…. not yet…”

Shepard smiled at his reaction. “How are you feeling?”

“Not that bad, surprisingly. Just don’t want to get up yet. You?”

“Well, the biotics burned through the alcohol pretty quickly, so I’m feeling good. They never burned through the stuff that fast before, but then again I didn't have the cybernetics back then either.”

Garrus thought back to the night, “Did it affect your memory at all? Do you remember last night?”

He heard her hum as she thought about it, “Well, I remember the incident. You banging on my door like the building was on fire. The conversation on the couch and moving to the bedroom, but not too much after that.”

Garrus was relieved, but bothered. He was glad that the new upgrades weren't becoming an issue for her. However, he wanted her to remember the question. He wanted her to remember her response and discuss it further. But he couldn’t ask it now. 

He heard her stomach gurgle, “Sorry.” 

Garrus chuckled, “Fine. Let’s get food. Shower first though.” 

Shepard sniffed herself, “Do I smell that bad?” 

Garrus took the chance to smell her again. “Not really. I just really want to scrub the club off me.” 

He heard her groan, “Oh, I bought a set of turian stuff for you. It should be in the closet over there.” 

Garrus was stunned, “I… thank you, Shepard.” 

Shepard rolled out of bed, “No problem. Figured we might end up like this and I didn’t want you to be stuck with your clothing from previous.” 

Garrus smirked at her, and she heard a change in his subharmonics, “So you already had plans to take me to bed. Naughty, Shepard.” 

“Well, I planned on taking a turian back here.” 

“You are mean.” He threw his pillow at her, and she laughed as she ducked. “Still. I appreciate it.” 

“You’re welcome.”

Shepard and Garrus went their separate ways after breakfast as the two had personal errands to run. 

As Shepard left one of the shops, she spotted Thane and jogged up to him, “Hey. What are you up to?” Thane came to a halt and escorted Shepard to a bench for the two to sit down upon.

“I was just running some errands. Stopped at the hospital.” 

He saw her facial expression change, “You okay?” 

Thane smiled, “Yes, Siha. It was just a check-in.” 

Shepard cocked her head slightly, “Siha? What is that?” 

“I will explain it to you another time.” 

She shrugged “If you say so. I was on my way for some food; would you like to have lunch with me?” 

Thane blinked both eyelids at her. Her question had caught him off guard. Not something that usually happened. It made him think of a time when someone had asked him to a meal or spend time with him.  Shepard seemed to enjoy his company. He couldn't sense an ulterior motive from her, and she wasn't out to harm him. No. In fact, it appeared that she enjoyed their time together. She made things a bit brighter for him, not only by saving his son, but by being a friend to him. Her voice had put a halt to his train of thought.

“You don’t have to I was just wondering.” 

Thane stood and held his arm out for her, “I would be happy to accompany you, Siha.” 

Shepard returned his smile and hooked her arm through his as the two walked off to find a lunch venue. Garrus stood in a nearby shop away from the two, but within line of sight of what had happened. Her voice made him turn towards the direction of the sound, which left him observing the encounter between her and Thane. He was not sure what they were discussing and that irked him. Jealous much. Shut up. They seem quite happy, don't they? None of my business. Then why are you still staring. It was at that moment he observed the two smile at one another before walking away arm in arm. Happy indeed. His subharmonics gave away his anger and the nearby turian began to step away from him.

Shepard left Thane to his visit with his son and stooped off at the Normandy to put away some items for the next trip. Thane and his son had begun to repair their relationship and Bailey informed her that he had kept the situation in C-Sec. He was keeping her up to date on his progress and notified her that Kolyat was becoming very helpful in diffusing situations. The information made her chuckle as she thought about the two men. Thane diffused situations too, albeit in a more deadly manner, while his son was more peaceable in his actions.

Shepard came out of her quarters, bumping into Garrus in the process, “Oh, hey big guy, what’s up?” 

Garrus began to rub his neck. He had run through the meeting in his head over and over before coming to her cabin. He knew what he wanted to say and was confident about it. But standing in front of her, made him forget the lines he had worked out beforehand. 

“I was wondering if you would like to have dinner together… tonight.” 

“Sure.” 

Garrus dropped his hand, relief filling his body. His confidence was coming back once more. 

“Good. I made reservations, so you are going to have to wear something more than combat boots.” 

He heard her groan, “If you say I have to wear a dress, I’m going to hit you… in the face… with my combat boots.” 

Garrus chuckled, “No. Just something nice, say business casual.” 

Shepard thought for a moment, “I think I could do that. What time?” 

“The reservations are for 8.” 

“Okay. Want to meet outside the Normandy?” 

“Sure.” A thought had jumped into Shepard’s mind, “Wait. What if I had said no?” 

Garrus boarded the elevator, “I knew you wouldn’t.” He winked as the doors closed.

Shepard had checked herself one last time. She had on a pair of black slacks and cobalt colored blouse that was fitted on her upper half and flowed out at the waist. She used some light makeup, silver jewelry pieces, and 2-inch heels to finish out the outfit. She left her quarters and found Garrus waiting against the railing outside of the Normandy. She noticed a couple of turian females eyeing him, but he didn’t appear to be giving them any attention. 

“Hey, Garrus.” 

Garrus pushed himself off the railing, “Wow. Not half bad, Shepard.” 

“Half-bad? Please, I look amazing.” 

Garrus rolled his eyes, “Your ego is astounding.” 

“It isn’t egotistical if it’s true.” The two laughed at their inside joke. 

Shepard gave Garrus the once over, “Would you like if I did a slow turn for you?” 

“Well, if you’re offering…” Shepard smirked. 

Garrus shook his head. He was wearing a navy colored turian outfit that was lined with silver. 

“Not half-bad for a thunder chicken.”

“I’ll have you know, I look amazing. Especially if those female turians are any indication.” 

“No, they are just wondering what the hell happened to your face.” 

Garrus rubbed the damaged side, “Some women find scars sexy.” 

“Aren’t they mostly krogan women?” 

“This is true.” Garrus held out his arm, “Shall we? We’ll take one of the rapid transit shuttles.” 

Shepard slipped her hand through his arm and proceeded towards the shuttles, passing the female turians who sent daggers at her.

The restaurant was nice, but there was a mix up in the reservations and their table was given away. The hostess was quite condescending about the whole situation and Garrus was doing his best to fix it, while not flipping out on her. 

Shepard came up beside him, “Garrus, it’s okay. I guess this is what Spectres can expect from this place.” 

The hostess’ mouth fell open, “A Spectre? Are you Commander Shepard?” 

Garrus felt a smug smile form on his face, “The one and only.” 

The hostess became flustered, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. The reservation was for Vakarian. Please, let me make it up to you.” 

A new table, in a quiet, semi-private area was given to them and one of the managers approached the table. 

“I do apologize for the treatment our hostess gave to you. Please, allow me to comp your meal for tonight. Anything you would like is on the house.” 

Shepard smiled politely, “That is not necessary. I am happy that it was sorted.” 

The manager gave a small bow, “Please. It is no trouble. Enjoy your night. Should you need anything, do not hesitate to ask for me.”

The asari walked away from their booth and Shepard shifted her attention to Garrus whose head was sitting upon his folded hands, 

“Look at you, using your status to get stuff.” 

Shepard shrugged, “I knew you were getting angry and I didn’t want the night ruined because of some snotty hostess.” 

“Well, thank you for fixing it. I was about to break that podium.”

The conversation had been light and humorous, but Shepard felt the change almost immediately. 

“I never got around to it, but thank you for helping me with the Sidonis situation. Whatever happens with the Collectors or the Reapers or whoever else comes after us, I know you’ll get the job done.” 

“You actually think we’ll find something worse than Collectors or Reapers?” 

Garrus shrugged, “I like to expect the worst. There’s a small chance I’ll be pleasantly surprised.” 

Shepard grinned, “You’re welcome, Garrus. Besides. I couldn’t do this without you.” 

Garrus clicked his mandible, “Sure you could. Not as stylishly, of course.” 

Garrus began to poke at what was left of his meal. 

“Something else on your mind?” 

“It’s strange.” 

“Garrus you are going to have to be more specific. Our lives have been nothing but strange since meeting.” 

“I meant it is strange going into a suicide mission on a human ship. Your people don’t prepare for high-risk operations the way turians do.”

Shepard raised an eyebrow, “Uh, Ilos…” 

“Yeah. But that was quick. We raced out, landed, blew up some geth, and saved the galaxy.” 

“Ah, the good old days.” Garrus chuckled, but his face turned serious once more, “This time we’ve got Miranda and Cerberus and that AI all telling us what we’re up against. I think I preferred blind optimism.”

Shepard crossed her arms on top of the table, “What is your honest opinion about this mission?” 

“Honestly? The Collectors killed you once, and all it did is piss you off. I can’t imagine they’ll stop you this time.” He rubbed his neck, “But an unmapped area, advanced technology, and the Collectors? We’re going to lose people. No way around that. Not a happy analysis, I know. Don’t worry. I won’t spread it around. And I’m with you, regardless.” 

"That means a lot to me, Garrus. Thank you." Shepard smiled warmly at him.

“But... do you ever regret leaving C-Sec or the turian military?” 

Garrus tilted his head, “Didn’t we go over this before?” 

“Not in any detail.” 

“In that case, not for a minute. I don’t think I’m a very good turian. When a good turian hears a bad order, he follows it. He might complain, but he knows his place.” Garrus shook his head, “I just don’t see the point in staying quiet and polite. Not when the galaxy is at stake.” 

He watched as a smile formed on her face, “I understand that. Hell, I’ve done that. But back to the beginning of this conversation, how do turian crews get ready for high-risk missions?” 

“With violence, usually. Turian ships have more operation discipline than your alliance, but fewer personal restrictions. Our commanders know we need to blow off steam. There are rooms for exercise, combat sims, even full-contact sparing” 

Shepard put her hand up, “Wait. You mean turian ships have crewmen fighting each other before a mission?” 

“It’s supervised. Nobody is going to risk an injury before a mission and you can settle grudges amicably.” 

Garrus leaned back slightly in his chair, “I remember right before one mission, we were about to hit a batarian pirate squad. Very risky. This recon scout and I had been at each other’s throats. Nerves, mostly. She suggested we settle it in the ring.” 

“I assume you took her down gently?” 

Garrus’ mandibles clicked, “Hardly. She and I were the top-ranked hand-to-hand specialists on the ship. I had reach, but she had flexibility. It went on for nine brutal rounds until the judges called a draw.” Garrus’ eyes relocated themselves to the table, “We, ah, ended up holding a tiebreaker in her quarters. I had reach, but she had flexibility. More than one way to work off stress, I guess.” 

Shepard shook her head, a corner of her mouth turned upwards as she gazed at him, “Was there a point to that story or are you bragging about you sexcapades.” 

Garrus eyes rushed to her face, “I wasn’t, I mean…” The question had thrown him off, making him stumble over his words as he tried to form a sentence to explain the story. 

He didn’t need to because Shepard cut through his verbal nonsense, “Or are you trying to tell me that you are carrying around tension and need it released.” 

Garrus tilted his head slightly, “Uh, I suppose. Why?” 

He tracked her eyes as they scanned his face. A different kind of smile slowly formed on her face. 

“Maybe I could help you get rid of it.” 

Garrus became more confused not only with the statement, but at the smile that was now gracing her face. He couldn’t recall a time where he had witnessed the smile, but the faint smell that he was familiar with had reached his nose. A brief flashback to the gym came to his mind and he mentally smacked himself. Of course. She heard the story and thought of helping him by going to the gym again. 

Not what you had in mind, is it? The familiar voice was back. You want to take her to bed. No one asked for your thoughts. 

Garrus spoke before an internal battle broke out, “I don’t think this is an opportune time to be sparring, Commander.” 

He followed Shepard’s hand as it reached out and her fingertips ran back and forth upon his hand, “I was talking about the tiebreaker. See how well your reach stacks up against… my flexibility.” 

Garrus’ eyes snapped from his hand to Shepard’s face. Did she just offer? Was this happening? Did she really… “Shepard… are you asking…” 

“I have an apartment we can go to. I believe you know where it is.” 

Garrus’ confusion turned to excitement, but he became worried about the mission and the crew, “What about the crew? I don’t want anything to cause a problem with them.” 

Shepard rolled her eyes, “Garrus, if you haven’t realized it, the rest of the crew already thinks we are. What uproar will it cause if we actually are?” 

She wasn’t lying. Their relationship was a topic of conversation throughout the ship. Hell, he even heard rumors and talk back on the Citadel and his home planet. Didn’t stop people from trying to sleep with him. In fact people seemed a bit more brave after the rumors of him and Shepard being together. 

“I never thought you would… uh…” 

Shepard shrugged, “What can I say, I have a weakness for men with scars. So, should we-.” 

Garrus rose from the table, jostling it slightly as he did, “Yes. Let’s go. Now.” 

Shepard was surprised at the sudden change, but followed him. They left the venue and took a shuttle to her apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to leave it at a cliffhanger like that. I wanted to do the next chapter well and have it more dedicated to the "alone time" between them. I still hope you enjoyed the story. Don't hate the writer!


	25. I'd Be More Than Happy To

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apartment. Learning. Nerves. Smut. Yeah, smut!

If Garrus could have, he would have lifted her up and ran back to her apartment. He was getting anxious, but also aroused the closer they got to her apartment. He followed her inside and locked the door behind them. 

Shepard went to the kitchen, “Want something to drink?” 

Garrus cleared his throat, which seemed to get dryer the closer they had gotten to her apartment. “Yeah.” 

He went to the living room and sat on the couch. His nerves were getting worse, and he didn’t know what to do. He’d never been with a human before. He had done some research about turians and humans. There was also the info that Mordin sent him. While, biologically helpful and like reading a medical article, it wasn’t what he was looking for regarding this matter. He didn’t want to be the bumbling fool that left her unsatisfied or Spirits forbid, hurt her. He wanted them to enjoy it as it would probably be the only time it would happen. She was his best friend, but also a Commander of a crew and ship. The same team and vessel that were on their way to a suicide mission. 

You sure you even deserve someone like her? She has helped you out and saved you on so many occasions, but what have you done? Besides putting her in the med-bay. It was an accident. Because you weren’t paying attention. And then you left her-. Garrus shut the door on that train of thought as Shepard handed him a turian glass filled with his favorite liquor and sat down next to him. She stood back up for a moment to unholster her weapon and placed it on the table. 

Garrus eyed the gun, “Expecting trouble?” 

Shepard sat back down, “Never know with me.” Garrus nodded in agreement. “You mean to tell me you left without one?” 

Garrus set his drink down, stood and removed a couple of weapons from his person before sitting back down again, “Never know with you.” 

Garrus’ nerves had come back. He took a large drink from the glass. 

“Garrus… you okay?” 

He wiped his hand on his pants, “Yeah. Just… nervous.” 

Shepard set her drink down and brought her legs under her to face him, “Don’t be nervous.” 

“Easier said than done, Shepard. I don’t want to screw this up.” 

She reached out to touch his scarred mandible. It was a light, feathery touch. Much different than how female turians had touched him. Yet, it felt… wonderful. 

“I just want something to go right.” 

“It already feels right.” 

Garrus locked eyes with her and saw his reflection staring back at him. She leaned her head towards him, and he closed the distant. Pressing their foreheads together helped ease his nerves a bit. The two slowly pulled away from one another.

 “Shepard?” 

“Yes?” 

“Why did you do that?” 

“You aren’t the only one to do their research.” 

As she saw the realization of what she had said appear on his face, he smirked, “So, you had planned on sleeping with me?” 

“I had thought about it, but was afraid to ruin our friendship. It was going to go a couple of different ways. I either told you, we dealt with it, and moved on. Or… I never said anything, gave up and moved on.” 

She watched as his mandibles fluttered and he said something her translator couldn’t decipher. “What about you?”

Garrus’ eyes moved to her necklace, “I did some research too.” 

“Officer Vakarian.” 

His eyes moved back to hers, confused about her authoritative tone, “What?” 

“How long ago did you do this.” 

“A while back…” Shepard said nothing. “And quite frequently since then.” 

Shepard slid over his legs, settling herself upon his lap. Garrus stiffened as her head moved to whisper into his hear. “My, my… lusting after your commanding officer. What am I going to do with you?” 

She ran her tongue along his injured jaw. It was softer than a turian’s, and it felt so good along his scarred mandible. His chest rumbled, and she moaned in response. She continued kissing along his neck, stopping every so often when he would growl. She could feel him growling everywhere, including between her thighs and it was making her wetter each time he did it. He felt her run her teeth along the curve of his neck and shoulder and he froze. 

Shepard felt him stiffen and pulled away from him, “Are you okay? Did I do something wrong?” 

Garrus saw the look of worry and confusion, “No. No. Nothing like that. It’s just… there are certain zones that are…” 

“Erogenous?” 

“Yeah… sort of.” 

“Is that so?” 

Garrus cleared his throat, “Yeah…” 

He felt her nails run across the sensitive area behind his fringe and he temporarily lost control of his voice. Shepard heard his subharmonics fluctuate and a deep hum escape him. Garrus finally caught himself and drew Shepard’s hand away from her ministrations. 

“Garrus?” 

He kissed her palm, “That is a very sensitive area. And… if you keep that up. Well, let’s just say my control isn’t at its best right now.” 

Shepard smirked, “Should we move this to the bedroom then?” Garrus could only nod in response.

Shepard removed her jewelry, placing it in the nightstand next to the bed. She kicked off her shoes as she rounded the bed and wrapped her arms around his waist, smiling as she did so. Garrus stared at her lips. He often thought about them. Wondering how soft they would feel on his mouth, on his body. So different from his own. 

“I watched vids where humans did a form of kissing…” 

“And you’re curious to do that?” 

“Yes.” 

Shepard pulled his head down to her, pressing her soft lips against his firmer, leathery ones. Granted they weren’t as soft or pliable as hers, but they could still make it work. She opened her mouth slightly to run her tongue along the outside of his mouth. Garrus got the hint and opened his. She entered his mouth carefully, and Garrus used his long tongue to reach out to hers. His was slightly rougher than her own, but it was stronger and nimbler than hers too. 

Garrus was amazed. He didn’t think this kissing thing could work, but it was. He enjoyed how she felt and marveled at the differences, but also at how well they seemed to fit together. As they became more confident in the kiss, Garrus could feel the heat inside rising and felt his plates began to shift. He growled and pulled away. Shepard’s eyes were slightly glazed over, and she was smiling at him. 

He saw a blush slowly creep up her neck, “That was…” 

"Exactly," she moaned in response. 

Garrus had watched different videos of humans being intimate. He also found some of turians and humans being intimate. However, he was noticing that the confidence he usually had around women was not as prominent as he stood in front of Shepard. 

She sensed the nervousness in him and understood that feeling. She had been nervous about approaching the situation, but now that she was with him… it wasn’t as bad. She stepped away to remove her shirt. 

Garrus eyes followed her hands as they pulled her shirt over her head and tossed into a dark corner of the room. She continued the process by removing her pants, but leaving her undergarments. He knew what a bra was, but no experience of how to remove one. 

Shepard saw the hesitation and gave him a small smile before removing the last pieces of clothing. She found herself standing naked in front of her best friend who stood quietly. As the silence continued, her nerves began to worsen. She felt the urge to cover herself and was tempted to grab her nearby robe. However, she heard the familiar noise of a zipper and turned her attention back to Garrus. He was unzipping his clothing till he too stood bare in front of her. Well, as naked as a turian could be. His hand reached out to touch her shoulder. He let his blunt talons slide down her arm, and Shepard shivered from his touch. 

Shepard grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the bed. She climbed on top of it and crooked her finger at him, encouraging him to join her. She felt the mattress dip as he accompanied her. She followed him down onto his back, kissing him as they went. Shepard ran her hand behind his fringe again. Garrus felt his plates shift more and growled as their tongues wrestled and she continued to scratch and massage his sensitive areas. She moved her mouth to his mandibles, She nipped and licked his damaged side as she made her way to the curve of his neck. She smiled to herself as she heard him growl and felt his grip tighten upon her. She took her time finding the spots that made him groan. Places that made his breathing erratic.

She got to his plates that had shifted enough that his member was attempting to pass through. She reached out to touch the plates and felt him stiffen. He sat up quickly and grasped her wrist. 

“Did I do something wrong?” 

He took a steadying breath, “No. But you know that humans are allergic to Dextro right?” 

He saw the corner of her mouth tilt up, “Really?” 

He felt her fingers play and rub along his plates. He couldn’t hold them in place anymore and his member was released. He wasn’t sure what she would make of it. He was afraid that she would see it and decide to end everything. It wasn’t something she would be used to. 

“If I am allergic then it would be wrong of me to do… say…” 

And before she finished her sentence, her mouth had descended upon his cock, enveloping the top of it, while her tongue swirled around it. It felt incredible. It was indescribable. The faraway voice was trying to break through the ecstasy he was feeling. Dextro. Human. It was jumbled. Bad reaction. Death. The last word shot through to him and he pulled Shepard off of him. 

“Stop. We have to stop.” 

“Why?” 

“You are going to react to this. We need Mordin.” 

He didn’t miss the full smile now present on her face, “I don’t think so.” She pushed him back down, “I won’t react to anything.” 

Garrus was confused for a moment. Had she already been with another turian. He growled low at that thought. “Why.” 

It wasn’t a question, but a demand. Shepard raised an eyebrow slowly, “Always so demanding.”

 She watched his eyes narrow. So…. Garrus was the jealous type. Shepard thought. 

“You remember when I had to rescue you on Omega?” 

He nodded. 

“Well, what you don’t know is that I jumped onto the gunship and hammered into the batarian’s face till my fist went through his eye socket.” 

Garrus mind recreated the scene in his mind. His fearless Shepard, diving into a gunship to save him. It turned him on more than he wanted to admit. Although his cock was fine admitting it. Shepard felt it tap against her ass, but she withheld her smirk. 

“Still doesn’t explain how you know.” 

She ran a finger delicately over his damaged side, “I jumped back and ran to you. I pushed you over and was checking your wounds. There was blood all over you and in my rush,  I had not realized that I had cut my hands open. Your blood seeped into the cuts. When I was checked out by the doc, we discovered what happened and realized that I didn’t have that allergy.” 

Garrus wanted to hug her tight to him, but also shake her for what she had done. He was learning, slowly, that she would continue to risk herself if it meant she could save her friends. 

She bent closer to him, her mouth centimeters from his ear, “So, even if you cum in me, I won’t have a reaction.” 

That admittance set something off inside of him and he flipped them over, putting her underneath him. He was growling as his gaze traveled her body. Shepard’s eyes widened from the quick change in Garrus. He pinned her hands above her head with one hand, while his other moved to her breast. He squeezed, pulled, and pinched them till he found the combination she enjoyed the most. He progressed further till he reached her sex. It was hot, wet, and as he slipped a blunt talon inside; tight. His eyes stayed on her face, watching as a different hunger filled them. He wanted to do more, but her eyes was urging him for something more than what he was doing. His thighs parted her legs further apart, till he was settled into a better position. His cock sat at her entrance, while his eyes locked with hers. She gave a small nod and he pressed into her. She was tight, so tight. 

Her face had changed, it was creased and tense, “Shepard?” 

“I’m… fine. You are much bigger than I would have thought.” 

Garrus gave a low chuckle as he licked the side of her neck, “I told you I was impressive.” He pressed in a bit further and gave a short grunt. 

“Problems?” 

He released the breath he was holding, “Tight. Very tight.” 

She nipped his mandible, “Always with the compliments.” 

He continued his slow to and fro till he was finally seated within her. He waited for a moment, collecting himself and wanting to ensure she had time to properly adjust. Shepard lifted her hips slightly to urge him on.

Garrus began a slow rhythm. Enjoying the tight feel of her, Watching her face contort and body writhe as he started to move faster and deeper into her. 

“Garrus. Wait.” 

He immediately stopped, thinking he had hurt her. “Are you okay?” 

“Fine. But you mind if we switch positions?” She moved away and got on all fours, “This way.” 

He was enjoying the sight before him. Shepard, on her knees, sex glistening, ass on full display and legs spread. Waiting for him. He settled between her legs and slipped inside her. He thrust in and out of her, faster and deeper than before. Her moans were like music to his ears. 

“Harder.” 

“I don’t want to hurt you.” 

She lifted her head and her green eyes locked on his intense blue ones, “Harder, Garrus. Or do I have to find someone who will?” 

She knew it was a bit mean to do that, but she also knew he was afraid to harm her. Even after everything he had seen her do and have done to her, he was still fearful of hurting her. She heard the deep growl and a flash of teeth. Uh oh. 

“Harder you say? Gladly.” He slammed into hard enough to make her body jerk forward.

She heard the change in his harmonics, so different from his regular tone. A mix of lower octaves and growls. A combination that seeped into her body, making her shiver in response. This was a side of Garrus she had never seen. She’d seen his anger, his joy, his sadness. But this? Never. And that turned her on even more. She never met a man who reacted like this. Pure strength and intense arousal. She wanted it. God help her, she wanted it.

His primal side was taking over his body after that one comment. What restraint he did have he used to keep that side of him from completely taking him over. He wanted her to feel good. To enjoy this experience. But, to shove himself as deep as he could until she screamed his name... That he craved. His eyes noticed the surprised look when he lurched forward. He would have stopped from that, but her face… her eyes were filled with a need for him. Begging him to continue. He couldn’t deny his Shepard what she wanted. He kept his punishing pace. Heard her moans get louder, her breathing changing from deep breaths to quick intakes. 

“Garrus. Oh God.” 

It came out soft, but he heard it. Hearing his name said like that... well, not even his dreams could reproduce that sound. He wanted to hear more of it. “Cum for me, Shepard.” His talons reached around, pressing and swirling around the little nub that he knew was a rather sensitive and enjoyable spot for her. Her head fell back, and she screamed his name over and over. Her sex tightened and convulsed around his cock. He couldn’t hold himself back any longer, and he roared as he surged forward pressing himself as deep as possible as he released himself inside her. 

That primal side of him wanted to fill her. Impregnate her. His teeth hovered over her shoulder. Mark her, it yelled. Make her yours. 

The other side of him reacted. She isn’t yours. You don’t know what she wants. Don’t be him. 

That last sentence closed his mouth. He withdrew from her, watching as a bit of his cum slipped out and onto the bed. A piece of him was sullen seeing that, but he pushed it away as he lay down with her. 

He pulled her close, “How do you feel? I didn’t hurt you did I?” 

His tone had changed to the concerned one she knew well. But it too was different. She wasn’t sure what was mixed into it, but it sounded pleasant just the same. 

“I am great.” There was silence and she turned over to face him, “Garrus. If you had hurt me, I would have told you. If you didn’t stop, I would have thrown you across the room.” Her hand cupped his mandible, “I am fine. That was the best sex I’ve ever had.” 

She felt the low rumble. “Good to hear.” 

“What about you?” 

With other women, he would have thought they were fishing for compliments, but Shepard? No, she wanted to make sure he had enjoyed himself as much as she had. 

He gave a turian smile, “Amazing. That thing in the beginning… with your mouth.” He ran a talon over her lips, “Never felt anything like that.” 

“Good to know.” 

“Although… there are things I want to do to you.” He stopped for a moment, “I mean that is if you want to do this again.” His focus was on her lips, afraid of what he might hear or see in her eyes. 

He felt her fingers glide along his mandibles, “I would be more than happy to do this again.” 

His eyes jumped to hers. She wasn’t joking. She wanted him again.

 “Why don’t we shower first and go for round two.” 

“I’d like that.” She smiled as she pressed her forehead against his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait. I had written it and then rewritten it and then found out it wasn't saved. Awesome. I hope you all enjoyed it. I don't know if I really like how it came out, but I will improve upon it and add more juiciness to the story as we go!


	26. What Can You Offer?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shepard's friends could cause another war. Gunships. Always with the gunships. Wrath of hell.

Shepard was true to her word. Although standing in her cabin, dressed as she was, was making her rethink it. 

_Your friendliness knows no bounds._

She chuckled as Garrus's words came back to her. He wasn't wrong. As she stared at herself and her attire, it seemed her friendliness really was endless.

“You know when you said strings attached, I did not think it meant me in a dress.” She stared at the mirror and groaned, “Kasumi, why. Just why.” 

Kasumi giggled, “I think you look good, Shepard. I know the guys, especially two in particular, are going to really appreciate this.” 

Shepard had a feeling she knew exactly who she was talking about, but did not comment. 

“Look at the bright side it could be worse. You could be a stumbling bafoon in heels and a dress. I didn’t know you knew how to walk in heels. I thought you were born in combat boots.” 

Shepard let out an exasperated groan, “Why does everyone think I don’t know how to be a woman?” 

She studied her reflection. She was in a tight leather dress, with a low cut that put the girls on display, complete with silver jewelry pieces and black three-inch heels. Shepard couldn’t hide in her room any longer and headed down the elevator. When the doors opened, everyone was waiting. 

“Wow, Commander. Who are you trying to impress?” Joker came over the speakers. 

“I will kill you, Joker.” 

There were whistles, catcalls, and high-fives going around. She looked through the crowd. A few of the girls came up to her to compliment her and giggled like school girls. As she scanned the room, she didn’t see a particular turian amongst it. 

“Okay, I have to go guys.” 

“Aw, can’t you do a little turn for us, Commander?” Zaeed shouted.

Garrus stood off to side out of her line of sight, but he could see and hear the activities going on. 

Kasumi had moved up next to him, “She looks great. Hock won’t be able to keep his eyes off her. Did you know she can walk in heels? I was quite sure she would fall, and our plan would have been ruined.” 

Garrus glanced down at the little thief, “Yeah, she looks good. And who is Hock?” 

“Oh, the guy whose mansion we are going to break into and steal from. I think she will be able to flirt it up with the big oaf.” Kasumi finished as she walked towards Shepard. 

Garrus was becoming angrier at the idea of her around this Hock fellow. She was going into an unknown without him, and he didn’t like it. She was going to a party in that dress. A dress that clung to her curves. And shoes… shoes that elongated her legs and brought out the strength in them. Garrus didn’t notice the possessive growl that had started. 

Shepard finally spotted him hidden away and began to head towards him, a smile on her face when she saw him waiting for her and her hips with just a bit more sway to them. 

She stopped in front him, “So… not so bad for a squishy, combat boot wearing Commander huh?” She did a small spin for him. 

Garrus pushed off the wall and pulled her to him causing her to gasp. He grasped her chin, rubbing her lip with his talon, “I don’t like you going alone on this mission. I don’t like you having to distract some dirty crook to get some device. I don’t like how he and other deviants will be staring at you as you strut around.” 

He paused as he glanced at her mouth, which had opened slightly, “If anything happens, I will murder every person in that place. Do you understand me?” 

Shepard could only nod. 

“Good.” He began to release her, “You look amazing in the outfit though.” 

He settled her back to her feet, and she gave him a wink before heading to the shuttle Garrus waited till she was out of earshot. 

“You better take care of her Kasumi, or I will have no problem snapping your neck.” 

Kasumi uncloaked herself, “I promise, Garrus.”

Shepard found Thane standing next to the shuttle. A smile spread across her face, “Didn’t want to join in on the jokes?” 

“I have no reason to ridicule you, Shepard.” 

Shepard shook her head, “It is just a joke, Thane. I know you would never do something like that.” 

The assassin smiled at her, “You look stunning in that outfit. I’m sure Garrus is fuming at the thought of you leaving in it and going to that party.” 

Shepard opened her mouth slightly to question, but Thane gave his usual knowing smirk. 

He pulled her closer to him, “I must emphasize the importance of you being cautious on this mission. That party is filled with dangerous and ruthless individuals.” 

He ran a hand down her arm to her hand, lifting it to his lips to place a kiss on it. If it was possible her jaw would have dropped to the floor. 

Thane’s dark eyes returned to her, “Should something transpire and harm come upon you; I will act accordingly and bring punishment to those involved.” 

Shepard could only nod at his words. Thane released her hand, placing his own behind his back once more. 

“Do be careful and I look forward to hearing about it.” He gave a small bow before departing. 

Kasumi appeared beside her, “Wow.” 

Shepard flinched, “Can you not…” 

“Habit. But that was a display that I would not have wanted to miss.” 

“Yeah…” 

“So, the galaxy’s most deadly assassin and a top-notch turian sniper ready to avenge the great Commander Shepard. I’m tempted to let something happen just to see that battle.” 

Shepard boarded the shuttle, “I’d rather not. If those two are involved, then that means Grunt, Tali, Mordin, Wrex, and I’m pretty sure a platoon of krogan would be involved. Let’s avoid that, shall we?” 

Kasumi tsked, “You’re no fun, Shepard.” 

“Shut up and get in the shuttle,” Shepard said through her laughter.

As everything in Shepard’s life, this mission was a cluster fuck. She and Kasumi had no choice but to fight their way out. Certain individuals were not going to be happy. No time to think about that as she had multiple people firing at her. 

“Are we serious with this shit?!” 

Their path was getting blocked every step of the way. Apparently, this Hock had no intention of letting them go. Which became more obvious by the gunship waiting for them outside. 

“Really? A gunship?! Kasumi, what the fuck?” Shepard yelled as she jumped behind cover. 

Yeah, Garrus was really not going to be happy. She just had to make it back in one piece and she could avoid the destruction of this place… and many people.

Garrus had heard Edi’s updates. The plan had gone awry and she was now fighting through the mansion to escape. 

The next moment froze him in place, “She has encountered a gunship.” 

No. Not that. What if she got hit as he had? He didn’t think she could survive that kind of hit. He would lose her again. He wanted to leave, but had no way to get there. Well unless that meant flying the Normandy into the building. Not a bad idea really. After what seemed like years, she and Kasumi had returned. He raced to the area to find her in her armor. He couldn’t stop the growl that came from him, causing both women to turn to him. 

He rounded on Kasumi, “I suggest you walk away before I make good on my previous threat.” 

Kasumi sprinted from the area, leaving a befuddled Shepard behind.

 “Gar-.” 

He pulled her into a side room and closed the doors. “I told you I didn’t want you to go alone. It went to hell like it always does, and you end up facing a damn gunship. Do you have any idea what could have happened?” 

Garrus had grabbed her shoulders, shaking her slightly. His eyes had wandered over her face and armor to check for damage. He came to her face and saw a look of shock. 

He dropped his hands, “I’m sorry. I was worried. I…. I thought what happened to me would happen to you and… it terrified me.” 

Shepard’s face changed to one of concern, “I’m sorry, Garrus. I didn’t know it would end up like that.” 

Garrus shook his head, “Don’t apologize, Shepard. It isn’t your fault. Damn Kasumi.” 

He began growling again making Shepard laugh, “Not completely her fault either. I am happy to be out of that dress though. Can’t really fight in that thing.” 

Garrus’ eyes snapped back to her face and he pulled her into him, putting his hand behind her neck to bring her head up close to his, close enough that he could… “I liked that dress. Just not when others can oogle you.” 

He waited to see her reaction. She smiled, “If I didn’t know any better, I would say you were jealous of other guys.” 

She reached her hand up behind his head, “Staring at me and imagining me in some… compromising positions.” She had found a sensitive spot, and he could feel that primal side of himself coming to surface. 

He released her, “Me? Jealous? I just would have hated to ruin a fine party because some guys decided to go a little too far with my Commander.” He saw her raise her brow. 

She did not comment on his explanation, just gave him a small smirk. She began walking past him and opened the door, “Well, that is good. I guess I can walk around the ship in that dress now. I know a couple of people that enjoyed it.” She added before closing the door behind her. 

Garrus didn’t leave immediately after her. His thoughts had seized hold of him. He wanted to take her there. In this small room where she would have to keep quiet. But… Garrus slumped against the boxes. His head falling back to stare at the ceiling. 

That was the crux of the matter. What if she didn’t want that? Did he even have the right to do that? Were they dating? Were they in an exclusive relationship? Did either of them want to be in one? 

What can you offer her? The voice was back. She might want a family, but you can’t give her that. 

She’s never mentioned that. 

You never asked. Just because you had sex doesn’t mean you own her. 

I’m not trying to own her.

Call it what you want, but you wanted to mark her. You want others to know she belongs to you. 

It is instinct, that’s all. Besides, I didn’t do it. 

Still doesn’t answer the question, does it? What can you give her? What can  **you** , a failed C-Sec officer and Spectre dropout, offer the illustrious Citadel Hero and first human Spectre, Commander Shepard?

Garrus chest rumbled in anger as the inner voice laughed at him. He shook his head and took a detour to the workout room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a bit shorter than the others, so apologies. The next one will be a bit longer, but may take a little longer as I have not written it yet! Hope you enjoyed it!


	27. Murder and Treason

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poor Samara. But she doesn't want your pity. What does the Fleet think it is doing?

Shepard found herself once again staring at her terminal going through the mass emails from both the Alliance and Cerberus. There were a few here and there that had thanked her for her help. One, in particular, caught her eye. She chuckled to herself as she read the thank you note from the boy she stopped on Omega. 

“Knew he would thank me some day.” She smiled as she leaned back in her chair. 

Her mind returned to that time. A time she wasn't that fond of considering what happened and what could have happened. She tried to avoid the memories of Garrus lying on the ground, struggling to breathe. Blood on the floor. She remembered destroying the batarian's face who had caused it and that brought her joy. She heard a crackle and noticed her biotic energy swirling around her hands. She shook her hands and took a deep breath. She pushed the memory aside and switched her mind back to the boy she had stopped that day and the anger and hurt she saw when she destroyed his gun. 

"Was a garbage gun anyway." 

Turned out from the message that the boy, after getting hammered, was attempting to make something better of his life. He realized that the merc world wasn't as wondrous and impressive as he thought. A bunch of dead mercs will do that for you. 

Shepard's monitor began to flash at her. She opened it and Chambers' face appeared.

“Commander, Samara requests a meeting with you.”

“Tell her I’ll be right down, Chambers.”

“Yes, Commander.”

Shepard left her room and headed to the Starboard Observation deck. Samara had never asked for an audience with Shepard, which made her think this instance was more grave than most. She enjoyed speaking to Samara, much like Thane, she had a feeling of peace about her that was soothing to Shepard. She turned down the hallway and entered the room to find Samara in her usual spot on the floor meditating. However, the usual tone of the place; the peace that she normally maintained, was not present. 

Yeah, Shepard thought, something is not right. Samara asking to see her was odd in and of itself, but adding the change in the environment only seemed to increase the stress and concern present in Shepard.

“I am glad you came.” Samara stood, but instead of turning to face her as she usually did, she moved towards the window.

“I must ask for your help. That is not easy for me.”

“It’s all right. Just tell me what you need.”

Samara took a deep breath, steadying herself before she began to speak, “When we met on Illium, I told you about a very dangerous person I was pursuing. Using the information you obtained, I have located her. She’s been going by the name ‘Morinth.’ I would like to apprehend her before she disappears again.”

Shepard could hear the change of tone in Samara’s voice when she spoke the word Morinth. She sounded disgusted, but she detected something else underlying it. Anger? Possibly. Hurt? That wouldn’t make much sense. Annoyance? Probably.

“Where is she?”

“Omega. A nightclub called Afterlife, which seems a perfect place for her to hunt.”    

Shepard restrained the smile that was attempting to appear. Oh boy, someone is not going to be happy about this little mission. However, that still didn’t explain who this person was and why they were going to hunt her down.

“Who is she?”

Shepard and Samara spent a few more minutes discussing the intended target. But something about the individual and the way Samara spoke about her, felt off. Shepard knew there was more to this individual and story, but she wasn’t going to press the matter.

“We need to stop her.”

An expression of sadness flittered across Samara’s face, “Thank you, Commander. There are no words to express what this means to me.”

 Samara returned her attention to the cosmos as Shepard turned to leave. She had walked only a couple of steps before Samara spoke once more.

“There is one thing more: this creature, this… monster. She’s my daughter.”

Shepard stopped momentarily before spinning on her foot and taking her original position next to the justicar.

“Your daughter?”

Samara gave a short nod.

“You said this is genetic. How many children do you have?” Shepard queried.

“Three. And three Ardat-Yakshi are in existence today. It is as it sounds.”

Shepard listened to the short explanation given by the justicar. She could feel the pain that the justicar was trying to hide.

“I… I am sorry for what you have to go through, Samara.” She reached out briefly to touch her shoulder, but Samara pulled away.

“I do not want pity, Shepard. I do not accept it.”

The two continued to discuss the issue, and Shepard knew that at that moment, words were not going to work. Would not be accepted or appreciated by the justicar. Action was what she needed and wanted.

“Help me find my long-lost daughter. And kill her.”

“We’ll go find Morinth.”

Samara returned to her initial position on the floor and resumed her mediation. Shepard left the compartment and began to head back to her room when her omni-tool started to flash. It was a message from Chambers' telling her to speak with Tali.

An odd request as Tali usually had no problem coming to her or asking to meet with her. Something wasn’t right, and she hoped Chambers was just being overly concerned. She boarded the elevator and headed down to engineering. Tali stood in front of her terminal as usual, but didn’t appear to be giving much attention to the work in front of her. Shepard tapped her on the shoulder.

Tali turned to her, “Shepard. I’m glad you came by. I may need your help.”

Red alarms began to flash in Shepard’s mind, “Why didn’t you ask to see me or just come up to my room?”

Tali began to worry her hands, “I don’t know. I guess I was too focused on the issue.”

“And the issue being?”

“I just received a message from the Migrant Fleet. The Admiralty Board has accused me of treason.”

As Tali moved to the terminal closest to the wall, Shepard caught the slight tremb in her hands.

“I’m scared, Shepard.”

It hurt and angered Shepard to see her friend in such a state. A state created by idiots. Idiots that would pay for bringing pain to her best friend.

 “Nobody who knows you could believe you’d betray your people, Tali.” 

“I don’t know. They don’t lay charges like this unless the evidence seems absolute.” 

Tali’s tone had changed. It was closer to one of defeat and that troubled Shepard.

“But thanks. I appreciate your faith in me, Shepard.”

The accusations suddenly hit Shepard. Oh no. It was her. She was the reason Tali was being accused of treason.

“Tali, it isn’t… is it because you are working with Cerberus? Did me bringing you here cause this?”

Tali felt and noticed the change in her friend. Always more concerned for her friends than herself, “I’m not working with Cerberus. I’m working with you. And I got leave to serve on the Normandy again.” The fire was coming back into her tone. “I have no idea what they’re accusing me of. You’d think I would remember if I’d betrayed the Fleet.”

“So, what happens when a quarian is accused of treason?”

Tali’s head dropped forward slightly, “There’s a hearing with members of the Admiralty Board acting as judges.”

Tali turned away and walked down the hallway of the engineering department.

“My father is an admiral on the board. He’ll have to recuse himself from judgment. I can’t even imagine what he’s thinking right now. The punishment for treason is exile. If they convict me, I can never go back.”

Shepard knew that exile would possibly destroy Tali. She cared deeply for her people and her family. To be separated forever from them was a fate worse than death for her friend. Shepard asked a few more questions. But the two still could not determine why she would be accused of treason.

Shepard placed her hands on Tali’s shoulders, “Tali, you are my best friend, and I will stand by you no matter what. We will clear this mess up, and you will be able to return to the Fleet. I promise.”

She could see a faint smile through the mask, “I was going to book passage on another ship. I didn’t think there would be time for you to help. Thank you, Shepard.”

Shepard stepped back from her, “There is always time to help my friends. The Illusive Man can wait till I’m damn good and ready to continue on this insane ride.”

She heard her friend chuckle, “Some things never change. And for that… I am greatly appreciative.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Know it is a short chapter, but the next one will be longer! I hope you enjoyed it.


	28. Warning Acknowledged and Disregarded

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Questions. Communication is key. Wild Side... it is waiting.

Shepard was heading to Garrus’ area after she had set the course for their next mission. It was difficult to choose who to help first, but Tali it seemed had more time than Samara, so the ship was heading back to Omega. 

As she reached the door, it swooshed open, and there stood Garrus bent over the console grumbling. Probably about something gun related, Shepard thought.

She felt the door close behind her, “What did the guns do this time?” She joked as she sat upon the crates near him.

Garrus heard her steps and smelled her scent the moment she walked through the door. He felt antsy, while she looked calm and a bit jovial. Just ask her. She may say no. And? That is the worst thing; she could say no. Yeah, but- her voice broke his internal argument. He wasn’t grumbling at the console, but at himself. She didn’t need to know that though.

“You know, the usual. I want something, and the system doesn’t want to cooperate.” He turned away from the console, leaning his hip against it to hold himself up. “So, what brings the great Commander Shepard to this lowly place?”

She rolled her eyes, “Well, oh simple peasant, I just wanted to inform you that we are going to Omega.”

She caught the slow brow plate raise, “Why?”

“Long story short, Samara needs my help.”

Garrus’ brow didn’t lower, “I feel like there was a lot skipped over in that short story.”

Shepard sighed and rubbed her neck, “Yeah. A bit. And after we have to head to the Migrant Fleet to help Tali.”

Garrus pushed himself off the console and moved to stand in front of her. It forced her to tilt her head back so that she could maintain eye contact. She felt his talon run across her lips, “You seemed stressed by these two situations. They must be serious.” He returned his hand to his side.

“Yeah. A bit serious. Well, probably a bit more serious in Tali’s case.”

Garrus ran his knuckles against her cheek, “Would you like it if I came up tonight and we talk about it?” His heart beat heavily against his chest as he waited for her response. But it began to slow as a small smile started to spread across her face.

“I would like that, Garrus.” She pushed herself off the crates and into him. She skimmed her hand lightly across his scarred mandible, “I would like that a lot.” 

Her hand reached the back of his neck, and she gave a slight pull. Garrus got the hint and bent forward to press his lip plates against her mouth. Her tongue flitted out and ran across his plates. It was not long before their tongues found one another. Garrus growled, and she moaned as he pulled her closer to him. Her nimble fingers once again found his sensitive areas and she felt the rumbling of his chest. Garrus pulled away abruptly; his breath quicker and shorter as he spoke, “We should stop.”

Shepard’s eyes were slightly glazed over, “Just when it was getting good.”

“I agree. But maybe we continue this later tonight?”

Her eyes were clearing up, “I am good with that. I’ll let you know when I am back in my cabin.” 

He felt her pull away and he released her from his grasp. Just tell her you want to take her against the console. And the crates. And the wall. And your-.

“That works for me.” He stepped away and moved back to his console. Looking as if he hadn’t been making out with his Commander.

She straightened herself back out, “Well, have fun with the grumblings and I’ll see you later.” She gave a wink before walking out the door.

Garrus held himself up against the console. “That woman.” Why don’t you be honest with her? 

The voices were back once more. 

She doesn’t need to know that I’m some wild animal that seems to be in heat every time she comes around. You never know, she may feel the same. Even so, she may not want to be taken like how I imagine or desire. Maybe I am just some kind of animal. Now you are being ridiculous. No one asked your opinion. The voices continued their banter and he continued to grumble.

Shepard stared at the ceiling as she thought about the day. The business with Tali and Samara were something else. With Thane they were setting out to rescue the kid, but with Samara… different story. Then there was Tali. Oh, Tali.

A knock came from her door, “Garrus Vakarian to see you, Commander.” Edi’s voice broke her train of thought.

“Let him in and lock the door behind him, Edi. Also, no disruptions unless the ship is going down or someone is dying. Forward everything to those on watch and Miranda.”

“Understood, Commander.”

The doors opened and Garrus stepped through. He saw the familiar red appear on the door. He had thought about coming up here all day and accomplished almost nothing he had set out to do.

She continued to lay on her bed staring at the ceiling above her. “Evenin’, Garrus.”

“Good evening, Shepard. Am I disturbing you?”

Shepard sat up and propped herself against her pillows, “Not at all. Just thinking.” She pat the space next to her for Garrus to join her. Garrus settled himself next to her and she settled herself against him. Her scent had rushed up to greet him, relaxing him. Them laying like this felt… natural and he found himself wanting more of it.

“What’s on your mind?”

He heard the long exhale and knew it wasn’t something that had to do with the Alliance or Cerberus.

“Tali and Samara.”

“Are you going to give me the full version of it?”

She chuckled, “Yeah, I should explain it better.” She felt him stroking her hair and she settled more into his side, enjoying the feel of his touch.

“I spoke with Samara and it turns out that the person she had been talking about all this time; the one she has been hunting for with the intent to kill, is her daughter.”

Garrus’ hand stilled, “Her daughter?”

“Yeah. I had that same reaction.”

Garrus resumed his ministrations, “But why? That seems extreme for a parent.”

“Well, it turns out that Morinth, that is her name or well the name she gave herself, has been killing people for the past 400 years.”

“Like mercenary or gang-related kind of stuff?”

“No. Turns out she is and Ardat-yakshi.”

“I know that name. They kill by mating or something, right?”

“Yeah. It stands for Demon of the Night Winds. You know how regular asari mate right?”

“Melding of the minds. Shouldn’t you be the expert on this compared to me.” He felt her elbow jab him in the side and the two laughed as they thought back to old times.

“Let’s just say that I am glad Liara is not one of them. What we went through with Saren is nothing compared to what they do to people.”

“So…” He left the word hanging; encouraging her to explain.

“The nervous systems don’t meld. There isn’t real enjoyment, maybe at first, but then the Ardat-yakshi’s nervous system overpowers yours and burns it out, which causes the brain to hemorrhage. After a bit, your empty, burnt shell dies.”

Garrus shivered slightly as his mind attempted to create such a scene, “That sounds horrible and incredibly painful. Why isn’t this more known?”

“Would you want people to know that there is a genetic disorder in turians that could cause such damage to others?”

Garrus contemplated the question for a moment, “Yeah. Especially since they sit on the Citadel Council too.”

“And there are no other options it seems. Samara is set on killing her daughter.”

His hand had moved to her back, pressing circles into it as a form of massage for her. “I’m sorry you have to do this, Shepard.” He heard her sigh and he felt a small twinge of pain in his chest.

“We can’t save everyone and, in this instance, talking is out of the equation. She has no intention of giving up her lifestyle, regardless of how many she has hurt or will continue to hurt and kill.”

The two sat silent for a moment.

“So, what about Tali?”

“Stupid Fleet.” She growled.

“Wow. A bit harsh.”

“They are charging her with treason.”

“Okay, yeah. Stupid Fleet.” He felt her chuckle and relax against him. “But why?”

“Don’t know. She doesn’t know, and I don’t know. We went over everything. I thought it might be because she is with me and I am working with Cerberus. They don’t exactly have the best relationship.”

“And?”

“It isn’t that. They gave her permission to join me on this mission. Which leaves us with nothing.”

“How is she?”

“She is worried and scared. She is afraid of being exiled from the Fleet.”

“I could see that. She is dedicated to her people. Which is only more confusing as to why they would accuse Tali, of all people, of treason.”

“I don’t know. I know I want to ring someone’s neck over this.”

“I believe that would be frowned upon.” Garrus jested.

“Maybe. What about a headbutt? That could work, right?”

Garrus chuckled, “This isn’t Tuchanka.”

“Well, damn.”

The two fell quiet once more. Minutes had gone by before Garrus spoke, “Do you feel a bit better?”

He felt her stretch against him and watched as she slid her leg over him till she was straddling him.

“I do, but I have an idea of how to make us feel even better.”

His eyes tracked her movements as she pulled her shirt over her head, tossing it to the side. Her breasts were free and her nipples began to tighten from the cool air. She slid off his lap and quickly shoved her pants down to puddle upon the floor beneath her. She stood in front of him, only wearing a smile.

“Kind of lonely being the only one naked.” She smirked as his eyes had finally reached her face. 

She watched as he pushed himself off the bed to stand in front of her. He unclasped and unzipped his turian outfit, which eventually joined her clothing upon the floor. She stepped to him, her hands winding their way around his neck, slightly scratching the bare skin.

“Now, should we continue where we left off.”

“I would love to.” He leaned his head forward to nip at her neck, his tongue running across each small bite to soothe the skin. Her soft moans stoked the fire within him.

“I have to admit…”

He gave a short grunt in response.

“I kind of wanted to have sex in your room.” She felt him still. Uh oh. She had wanted it, but Garrus was a turian and she had figured that he would want his workspace to remain professional. To do something like have sex in the space… she felt it broke some turian rule or culture aspect. 

“You did?”

“Yeah. But you stopped it, so I thought you wouldn’t want to.” She heard him chuckle softly, “What?”

“Oh, Shepard.”

“What?”

“Nothing. Communication is important, that’s all.”

“So true.” She pulled away and moved to the bed, slowly laying down on it and motioning for him to join her.

His plates were already shifting as he lay above her, using his arm to hold himself up, while the other ran over her stomach towards her breast. He squeezed it gently, while his talon slid across the nipple, causing her to shiver slightly and the nipple to pucker. His tongue reached out and wrapped around her nipple. Pulling and squeezing it. She moaned for more and his fingers took over, squeezing and pulling harder. That scent he enjoyed, that mad him respond so primally, hit his nose quickly and he had to push down the need that had awakened. His talons ran across her firm stomach to her wet sex. He growled lowly. She responded so quickly to his ministrations. He wanted to slam his cock into her, but this time he would go a bit slower. He had been researching an act that human women loved, and he wanted to try it. He moved down her soft skin. It amazed him that skin so soft could afford any amount of protection, but when it came to things like this, he enjoyed it. She molded to him like a female turian couldn’t. The pads of this fingers enjoyed traveling and touching the softness that was Shepard. His tongue soothed the bites he had taken as he moved further south. When he reached the apex of her thighs, he felt her stiffen.

“Uh, Garrus? What are you doing?”

“Is that a serious question or…” Her facial expression didn’t change.

“You don’t have to do that. I uh-… it really isn’t necessary.”

Well, this was a first. She was shy, but also embarrassed. But why?   
“Shepard, did I do something wrong?”

“No… it’s just… I’ve never really had anyone do that. I uh…”

Garrus climbed back to his original position, He pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, “Don’t be shy or embarrassed. I want to try that. I am not bothered by it. I enjoy the way you smell, and the scent down there is…” She felt him growl, “I enjoy that scent a lot, Shepard. It drives me crazy. And don’t worry, I’ll be careful of my teeth.”

“Okay, Garrus. How can I say no after that explanation?” She smiled into his neck.

“You can’t. Just lay back and enjoy it. However, I’m open to instruction.”

He resumed his position between her thighs. She was already glistening from his earlier attentions. His two talons pushed her lips aside, allowing him to see the small nub that was so enjoyable of a spot for her. He glanced up to find her arm over her eyes and her head upon the pillows. His tongue slid out and he touched her clit gingerly. She took a deep breath, arching ever so slightly from that one touch. He continued, licking her a bit harder and faster. Her breathing was becoming more erratic and she was trying to stop the moans coming from her mouth, by covering with her hand. He pressed a blunt talon into her and searched for the spot that the articles had spoken of, all the while watching her reactions to give him an indication that he had found it. He moved slowly, while his tongue continued its onslaught of her clit. Suddenly she arched more and had stopped breathing momentarily. He found it. He waited for her to return to the bed and began to stroke that spot, while his tongue moved faster over her. She was moaning his name. Begging him not to stop. He felt her pussy began to tighten upon his finger; she was close.

 “Oh, God… Garrus… Oh, God.”

He growled, and the noise came across as a vibration against her.

Her hand reached for his fringe, grasping it and scraping along the bare spots. He growled deeply again and he felt her release.

“Oh, Garrus!” She didn’t bother to cover that, he thought. Her pussy convulsed around his finger and she continued to thrust and grind against his tongue and finger as she came. Riding out the wave and smaller aftershocks until finally returning to the bed, limp from the effort. Garrus wiped his hand on the bed and lay above her once more. He nuzzled her neck, enjoying the soft moan coming from her lips.

“Was that good?”

“Very. You did your research. Quite well, I might add.”

“Thank you. Didn’t want to leave the lady disappointed.”

“Not sure that is possible. But why don’t I return the favor now.”

“Another time. If you start that, I won’t last long.”  
She felt him move and his cock now sat at her entrance. He sat up and placed her legs onto his shoulders, giving him a better angle and possibly prevent chaffing. Maybe.

She repositioned herself in a more comfortable spot and he slowly pressed into her.

“I’m not sure if I’ll ever get used to your size.”

Garrus wanted to think about that statement more, but she squeezed his cock and it drained his mind of any thought he had. He groaned as he continued to press into her, till he was seated fully inside her. This feeling… his cock being sheathed by her tight pussy was something he enjoyed immensely and something he had never really experienced. He moved slowly inside her, controlling the urge to slam into her and relishing the feel of her around him.

“Garrus…”

“Yeah?”

“Faster… Harder.”

He did as she asked, but it wasn’t enough.

“More.”

“Shepard… I don’t-.”

“Fuck me, Garrus. Hard. Please. I need it. I need you.”

That last sentence pushed him over the edge. She needed him. He slammed into her, driving deep into her. She was sure if it weren’t for him holding her hips in place she would have been thrown backward from the force. But it felt good and she wanted more. He had already withdrawn and was slamming home again before she could form a coherent sentence. Her eyes moved to his face and what she saw was not something she was familiar with. His blue eyes had gotten darker and something sat in that darkness, watching her. It was waiting for something, but she wasn’t sure what. What more was that she was turned on by it and what Garrus was doing to her. He was driving deep into her, making her call his name as his cock hit that one spot, setting her nerves on fire.

“That’s it. You like this don’t you.”

The phrase should have been a question, but it was stated as a fact. He wasn’t wrong. His normal flanging voice had changed, becoming more guttural and going to octaves she couldn’t register. She wanted to hear more of it. She could only nod at his statement. Still stunned by his voice, words, and eyes. He felt so good inside her. She never had a man stretch her or go as deep as Garrus was doing. She never wanted it to end, but she felt herself getting to that edge. 

He was as surprised as she was at what had come out of his mouth. He couldn’t stop it and it was encouraging to see she had enjoyed it. There was more… much more that he had wanted to say, but he had to feel her out first. That side of him was there. It was what pressed him to say the words. And when he saw the desire and want in her face after, that side sat back to enjoy it. 

He continued to watch her, holding his release back. Her moans, her breathing, and the pulsing of her hot sex… he knew she was close.

“Cum for me, Shepard.” He growled at her.

He wasn’t asking, he was demanding she cum for him. It was arousing, and she couldn’t stop herself from falling over the precipice. She called out his name, unsure what she was asking or saying as she rode the waves of her climax. She felt the change in his rhythm and then she felt him slam into her, releasing his cum into her before slamming into her again and releasing more. He drove his cock into her a couple more times before coming to a stop. He released her legs and slid out of her slowly. She felt empty when he withdrew and wished he was able to stay inside for a few seconds longer.

He climbed up to lay next to her, pulling her into him and shoving his nose into her hair. His breathing was returning to normal as was his mind. Well, sort of.

“You okay there, cowboy?”

“Mmmm, yeah… yeah. You?”

“Great.”

“What I said…”

“Liked it.”

“Really?”

“Oh yeah. I want more of that.” She smiled into his chest.

He ran his hand down her shoulder and side, “I didn’t hurt you did I?”

“No, Garrus. I told you. If you hurt me, I will say something. If you don’t stop, then I’m throwing you into the nearest wall. I’m serious about that.”

“I know. I know. I get worried when I get all… wild like that.”

Shepard tilted her head up, “Garrus, I’m not scared of it or you. I trust you. I enjoy the rough and wild of you. I’ve never had that before, but I’ve wanted it. So don’t be so afraid. I may be a bit squishy, but I’m a tough squishy.”

Garrus smiled down at her, “Okay, squishy.” She felt him growl as his mouth found her neck, “I’ll have to let the wild out a bit more for you. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She shivered against him as his hand ran down her back.

“Considered me warned, Officer Vakarian.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew... steamy. Hope you all enjoyed it. More to come. Think I got over the writer's block and the encouraging comments and kudos help me continue writing. Thanks again!


	29. Stupid Krogan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morinth or Samara. She looks like she would slit your throat. Tali is adorable as always. Idiots.

Samara, Garrus, and Shepard remained near the door as the ship moved into place for them to disembark. Shepard scanned her teammates as they waited. Samara was not herself. She was calm, but it was more of a calm that a predator would have as it waited for its prey. Shepard imagined that her nerves would get to her as the team closed in on Morinth. This was their only chance to take the asari down and if there was even one small misstep… well, Samara would continue her hunt, while Morinth continued her path of destruction. Shepard moved her attention to Garrus. She knew he didn’t want to come back to the place and she was originally going to take Thane, but he insisted on following. She hid a smile as she thought back to the discussion.

The two sat on the couch watching the cosmos, “So, who are you taking with you to Omega?” He asked as his talon stroked her arm.

“I was probably going to take Thane. He is an assassin and a damn good one. I thought about Kasumi, but she may try to venture off on a separate plan.” She felt the pause and knew he wanted to ask, but wouldn’t. “I would take you, but I know that place doesn’t hold the best memories and isn’t somewhere you like anyway.”

“True, but if you want to take me I will go with you. I can’t hide on this ship forever.”

She squeezed his thigh, well as much as she could considering how solid it was, “I know. But don’t force yourself, Garrus.”

“I’m not. I’ll be okay. I promise.”

In the end, she granted the request for him to join and now, here they all stood. He was right, though. It wouldn’t do any good to hide away from the place or the memories of what happened. She knew numerous things were probably running through his mind, but he didn’t show it. He stood there as solid and stoic as always. 

“We have arrived, Commander.” Edi’s voice broke through to Shepard.

“Roger. Let’s get going. We’ll go see an old friend first.”

“This will be fun.” Garrus rolled his eyes as he followed Shepard.

Aria sat on her usual couch. She knew the moment Shepard was within range of her world. Why she was here was a different story. The regular on goings of Omega would be of no interest to her. No, if she knew Shepard, it was something of a personal matter. Should be interesting either way.

She waited for Shepard to appear and nodded to the usual spot on the couch. She saw the turian with her, turns out Archangel wasn’t dead after all. She also caught the look exchanged between the turian guard that searched Shepard and Archangel. Oh my… someone was awfully protective of his Commander. 

Garrus’ eyes locked with Aria’s and she gave him a quick smirk before turning her attention back to Shepard.

“So, what brings the illustrious Commander Shepard to my place?”

“Looking for someone.”

“Really? I thought Archangel had been taken care of?” Her eyes slid quickly to Garrus before returning.

“He has been. I’m looking for someone else.”

“Well, who could have attracted the attention of you?”

“An asari fugitive is hiding out here. She’s an Ardat-Yakshi. We need to find her.”

Aria’s head snapped forward, disgust hanging on each word as she spoke, “I knew it. Nothing leaves a body quite so… empty… as an Ardat-Yakshi does.”

“You haven’t taken steps to kill her?” Samara questioned, disbelief in her tone.

Aria rearranged herself, “Why would I? She hasn’t tried to seduce me. Her last vicitim was a young girl. Pretty thing. Lived in the tenements near here. That’s where I’d start looking.”

Shepard pushed herself off the couch, “Thanks for the help. We’ll head out there.”

“Good luck finding her. Better luck catching her.”

The group arrived at the location Aria had given them and encountered a woman who had been recently crying. Shepard asked questions as gently as she could and gave comfort when possible. The woman was angry and heartbroken all at once. No one seemed to care that her daughter had died and she cursed Omega and those living on it.

“We will solve your daughter’s death and punish those involved,” Shepard promised the woman before leaving.

They found journal entries from the girl as well as works of art. Morinth was attracted to artists, and this girl was a great one. They retrieved a lot of information, such as the password to get into the club, an artist named Forta, and a movie called Vaenia. Samara’s plan was to enter the VIP section of Afterlife, unarmed and alone. Not the safest strategy, but the only way to capture Morinth.

The team headed back to the Normandy to set the plan in motion. Shepard made a quick stop at the shops to pick up items requested by her crew and for herself. Samara and Garrus stood off to the side, watching her and the area.

“This plan is crazy.”

“It is the only way.”

“She’ll be alone and unarmed.”

“I will be in the shadows, watching her. She will never be alone. I give you my word.”

“She is my best friend, Samara.”

“Your best friend?”

“Yes.”

“That is all?”

“What”

“I see. You have not told her what is in your heart?”

Garrus eyes widened slightly, “What?”

“I will take that as a no.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about. She knows she is my best friend.”

He caught the slight upturn of her mouth, “I am certain you know exactly what I speak of, Garrus Vakarian, and it has nothing to do with her knowledge of your friendship.”

Garrus turned his attention forward once more; the conversation interrupted as Shepard called out for them to head back.

Shepard and Samara had worked out their plan, which basically made Shepard bait.

“Pique her interest she says. She can inflict horrors upon you she says. Go play worm on a hook she says.” Shepard grumbled to herself.

She knew her comms could reach her ship and that those on the channel could hear what was going on. The team had decided that it would look too suspicious if she maintained open communication, so it was currently a one-way street.

“Did Samara say all that?” Tali questioned.

“Probably the first two, but definitely not the last part,” Garrus replied.

Shepard had made her way into the club and was crossing the dance floor when she overheard a conversation between a turian and a dancer. She observed the dancer shove the turian and inform him of the difference between dancer and hooker.

“You got a mouth on you! I’ll enjoy watching you use it.”

“The lady asked you to step away.”

The turian turned his attention to Shepard, “You want in on this transaction? I don’t care if it’s you or this bitch. I just like good times.”

Tali heard the growl that emitted from Garrus and caught the clenched fists as the turian continued his vulgarity.

“Well, what do you know. I like good times too.” She purred at him.

Garrus froze at the sentence and her tone. Slightly similar to the tone she had used when speaking with him, but it was a bit… off.

“Yeah, baby.” The turian moved away from the dancer towards Shepard.

The next noise the crew heard were grunts, cracks, and a loud thud, followed by glass breaking.

“That’s my girl.” Garrus mandibles fluttered slightly as he imagined Shepard tossing the turian aside. Well, after she got in a few hits that is.

Tali smiled behind her mask.

Shepard found herself on the couch with Morinth. Things were getting dangerous, and she prayed Samara would be coming soon. She watched as Morinth’s eyes turned black, but the feeling and even look were different than that of Liara’s. The promise of a good time, of experiencing things she could only imagine, was present as Samara had said, but it was overshadowed by something dark and dangerous. Flags and alarms were going off in Shepard’s mind.

“Don’t count on it,” Shepard’s voice broke through the trance Morinth had set.

“But you… who are you? Oh, no—I see what’s going on. The bitch herself found a little helper.”

Shepard could only smile at Morinth as the realization set in, and Samara came strutting through the door. Shepard observed them as they fought. They were similar, not only in power, but in looks. Morinth could probably pass as her mother, but that was where the similarities ended. Morinth was dangerous. She knew of her genetic disorder and used it to power herself and obtain that high, while leaving withered bodies in her wake. No care or concern for the trouble and pain she left behind her and as an asari, she would continue for hundreds of years more. It would end, and unfortunately it was going to be by Samara's hand. 

She stood silently as the warrior came towards her. Her centuries of a hunt over. Shepard knew it wasn’t the time to talk about what had been done and she merely nodded at Samara’s request to leave.

Shepard headed straight to the cockpit to speak with Joker.

“Set the course for the Fleet.”

Joker could see the stress present on the Commander’s face and decided to push down the comments he had thought to say.

“Aye, aye, Commander.”

Shepard left the area and headed to the lounge.

No one was there, which was a relief. She liked her crew, but she wasn’t in the mood to be Commander now. She grabbed a drink and plopped down on the couch and watched as the ship pulled away from Omega. She heard the doors swoosh open and a familiar voice speak to her. 

“Shepard?”

“Hey, Tali.”

“Is it okay if I join you?”

“Of course.”

Tali joined her friend and the two stared out the window, much as they had when they were on the old Normandy.   
“How is Samara?”

“She’s… dealing. I didn’t want to press her about it.”

Tali nodded in understanding.

“How are you? We are heading to the Fleet now.”

Tali worried her hands, “I’m okay. I guess. I mean I’m being charged with treason, so…”

She grasped her friend’s hand to stop her fretting, “I will help you sort this out, Tali. I am always here for you. I know it would cause you pain, in ways I probably don’t fully appreciate, for you to be exiled, but… I want you to know that no matter what, you have a place here.”

Tali gave a small sniffle from behind her mask, “Thank you, Shepard. It means a lot that you are willing to put yourself out there to help me like this. I…” She gave another sniffle.

Shepard smiled at their reflections in the window, “I know, Tali.”

There was a brief pause between the two, “Do you think they would get mad if I held them at gunpoint and made them clear you of the charges?”

Tali chuckled, “Pretty sure that is frowned upon and illegal. I might let you though.”

The two laughed till tears had filled their eyes.

After Shepard had calmed herself, she settled back into the couch, “So, how as it on the ship? Was anyone listening to the channel?”

“Garrus and I were. Not sure about anyone else. Heard that scuffle in the bar. What an indecent man.”

“Yeah. Even if I weren’t trying to get Morinth’s attention, I still would have knocked him out.”

“I’m sure Garrus would have beat you to it.”

Shepard turned her head towards Tali, “What?”

“Oh, he heard the guy talking to you. Well, I guess it was more of a proposition than a dialogue.”

“Yeah. Jerk.”

“Judging by his behavior, and a comment or two, I take it you two are more involved this time around.”

“This time around? What are you talking about?” Shepard could almost hear the eye roll come from Tali.

“Come on, Shepard! You can’t be serious?” Tali watched the slow raise of her brow, “Oh Keelah, you are serious. I swear you two…”

“We are… involved, but I am still confused.”

Tali rotated her body to face her, “Back on the old Normandy, Shepard.”

Shepard mimicked her actions, “Yeah…”

“You both wanted each other!”

“Well, I did, but he-.”

“He did.” Tali interrupted.

“How do you know?”

“He and I talked. He and Wrex talked. Keelah, Wrex knew he did, how did you not?”

Shepard’s mouth opened to respond, but no words came out. How could she not have known? Was she that blind or were her friends on the same train of thought as everyone else back in those days. Hell, even now.

Shepard’s brows furrowed, “If you knew, as you say, how come you didn’t tell me? Aren’t you supposed to be my friend? I feel so unloved right now.” Shepard crossed her arms and turned away.

“Shepard, I thought you knew. I thought you just didn’t want to get involved at the time. I’m sorry.” Tali reached for Shepard’s arm, suddenly afraid she had hurt her friend.

“No. I get it. We just aren’t that close of friends. It’s cool.”

Tali crept closer, almost sitting in her friend’s lap, “I’m sorry. Don’t be mad. We are close. You are my best friend, Shepard.”

Shepard couldn’t maintain the act, “Damn it. You are so cute, Tali. Come here.” Shepard grabbed her friend and pulled her in for a hug.

The doors swooshed and Garrus stood once again in the doorway, witnessing something very familiar. “I… uh…”

Shepard’s head dropped back, “Hiya, Garrus.”

Tali waved, “Hi, Garrus.”

“Want to join?”

Tali shoved her, “Shepard!”

Shepard laughed as she released her and the two stood up from the couch. “Thanks for hanging with me, Tali.”

Tali smiled, “Anytime, Shepard. Have a good night.” She waved as she left and boarded the elevator.

Shepard’s attention switched to Garrus, “Were you looking for me?”

“I just wanted to see how you were doing.”

Shepard walked past him towards the elevator, “I’m okay. Probably better than Samara at the moment.” The two boarded the elevator and Shepard hit the button for her floor.

“Are you going to talk to her?”

“Yeah, just not now. Maybe after Tali’s mission. She needs to collect herself.”

Garrus followed Shepard into her cabin and watched the red symbol appear on the door. He wasn’t checking on her in hopes of taking her to bed. He was concerned about her. These kinds of things took their toll on her, even if she didn’t outwardly show it. At least not around the crew.

“I stink. I need a shower.” 

He watched as her hands began to remove her clothing; tossing them to various corners of the room.

 She glanced back him, “Care to join me?” 

There was the purr, but this one he knew. This one was for him. He growled in response and began to quickly discard his clothing as he followed her into the shower.

After lathering up her loofa, she began to scrub away the Omega stench that clung to her. She could feel Garrus behind her and she turned slightly so he could get a better view. He wasn’t touching her, but she could feel his eyes as they watched her hands move across her body. She lingered at her chest, rubbing the loofa and then her hand over each breast till her nipples stood at attention. She watched as his hands flexed, something he probably didn’t realize he was doing.

His eyes followed her hand down to her waist, massaging the area before heading further south. He watched her hand disappear between her thighs. Soap was obscuring portions of what she was doing, but he knew. He watched her hand disappear multiple times and caught the short, soft intakes of breath. She removed her hand and turned towards him, holding the loofa out to him.

“Can you wash my back?” She turned to face the wall, waiting for him to as she requested.

He pressed the loofa against her back, slowly scrubbing it across her shoulders as he listened to soft moans escape her mouth. 

“That feels nice.”

He moved further down, massaging and washing as he went. Listening to the changes in her tone and breathing. His member had already pushed past his plates, waiting in anticipation as he watched her body resist the urge to press into him. He leaned forward, water running from him, onto her and clearing away the soap suds. His tongue reached out and ran slowly up and down her neck before he carefully ran his teeth across the same path. It was getting difficult not to turn her around and take her. He growled his frustration and moved back slightly as she turned to face him. She pressed her mouth against his, their tongues intertwining.

She pulled away, panting, “Are you going to fuck me or what?”

Garrus growled, more loudly than he meant to, but he didn’t care. His palms went under her ass as he lifted her, while she wrapped her long legs around his waist. He pressed her into the shower wall and reached down to set his cock at her entrance. She looked down to watch as his cock slid slowly inside her.

“Like what you see, Shepard?” 

His mouth was at her ear, deep, gravely, and doing things to her mind and body that no one else had. She could only nod as words were failing her.

He began moving slowly, grunted as she squeezed him sporadically. Her breathing was quickening, and she was trying to move faster against him. 

“Please…”

“Please what? You have to be specific.” Garrus mandibles fluttered against her as he spoke.

“I want… oh… please…”

“Want what, Shepard?” 

Garrus wasn’t trying to stop himself this time, at least in the talking aspect of things. No, he was enjoying himself and it seemed she was too. It was arousing to watch her try to tell him what she wanted. To beg him for something she needed… it made him feel… powerful… dominant. Enjoyable is it not? That side was with him again. He couldn’t deny it, though. It was damn enjoyable. To have her like this… his fantasies couldn’t compete. She wants more. Give her more. Take her like she is begging you to. The voice pressed him. He would, but she needed-.

“Fuck me, Garrus.”

His internal voice roared inside his mind as he slammed himself home. He continued to pound into her; giving what she had begged for earlier. His mouth was open, baring his teeth as he watched her. Their eyes met and for a moment he thought the sight would frighten her, but she smirked at him. This spurred him on and he increased his speed, spreading her legs a bit more as his cock filled her repeatedly.

“Garrus…”

“You feel so good.”

“I…”

“Cum on my cock.”

Her legs quivered and suddenly her back bowed and her hot pussy was squeezing him making it hard to continue thrusting into her. He released himself into her and felt her milk him as she rode out her orgasm. He continued to hold them up, his cock still inside of her and he didn’t want to remove it just yet. Her arms were still wrapped around his neck and she made no indication that she wanted him to withdraw. They stood like that for a couple of more minutes before she began to untangle herself from him and he slipped from inside her. They rinsed off, no words spoken between them. But the silence didn’t feel awkward. He got out first and left her to finish up privately.

He lay on her bed waiting for her. Maybe laying here is a bit presumptuous; he thought. He had considered putting his clothes back on, but she came out, naked, and joined him in the bed. She cuddled up to his side and his talons began to stroke her hair.

“Better?”

“Much.”

“I didn’t-.”

“No.”

“Good.”

There was silence as the two rested together.

“Garrus?”

“Yeah?”

“Back on the old Normandy?”

“Yeah?”

“Did you… want me back then?”

“You mean as we are now?”

“Yeah.”

“Yes.” He heard her groan, “What?”

“Nothing. Clearly, I am an idiot.”

“I’m confused.”

“Well, our dear, dear friend, Tali informed me that both she and Wrex knew you wanted me and vice versa.”

“Wait, so you wanted me back then too?”

She nodded.

“So, why didn’t you say anything?”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Well… I uh…”

“Exactly. In my case, you would always talk about how you preferred turian women. Why would I say anything after hearing that.”

“Yeah. We are idiots.”

“Agreed.”

The memory of Wrex giving him a knowing smile at various times while they were all together came rushing forward.

“Stupid krogan.”

“What?”

“Nothing, Shepard. Nothing," Garrus chuckled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I appreciate the comments and encouragement and kudos from everyone. It keeps me going!


	30. One of Mine!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First off... SPOILERS! I do what I can to avoid them, but cannot in this instance.  
> Tali. Exile. Will she or won't she. Punching them should be an option. So fiesty. Reegar, why you no say something?!

The ship closed in on the Migrant Fleet, and Shepard was sure that Tali was going to wear a track into the cockpit from her nervous pacing. Shepard had never seen the full Migrant Fleet before as they tend to keep their location and movements from others. It was amazing to see the myriad of ships floating around one another. The large sphere shaped one was amazing to see. Almost like it was their own small planet.

“This is Tali’Zorah vas Neema nar Rayya requesting permission to dock with the Rayya.”

Shepard smiled a bit as her friend spoke. The nerves she was portraying physically were not present in her voice.

“Our system has your ship flagged as Cerberus. Verify.”

Well shit. Shepard thought. But Tali didn’t hesitate to respond.

“After time adrift among open stars, along tides of light and through shoals of dust, I will return to where I began.”

“Permission granted. Welcome home, Tali’Zorah.”

“We’d like a security and quarantine team to meet us. Our ship is not clean.”

“Understood. Approach exterior docking cradle 17.”

Shepard and the team stood outside the doors as the ship slipped into the docking area. She heard the deep intake of breath from Tali and grasped her hand, squeezing it to give her a small bit of reassurance. Tali squeezed back and nodded. Shepard hit the button to release the locks and open the doors. As they turned the corner they found a team of quarians waiting for them.

“Captain Shepard. Tali’Zorah told me about you. I wish we could be meeting under more pleasant circumstances.”

The conversation started pleasantly and Shepard even received a blessing from Captain Kar’Danna. However, that changed when the Captain informed them of the charges.

“They’re charging you with bringing active geth into the Fleet as part of a secret project.”

“That’s insane! I never brought active geth aboard. I only sent parts and pieces.”

“Technically I’m under orders to place Tal’Zorah under arrest pending the hearing. So, Tali… you’re confined to this ship until this trial is over.”

“Thank you, Captain.”

The team headed to the plaza where the trial was to be conducted as well as where Admiral Shala’Raan awaited their arrival. Shepard heard the words of other quarians as she walked past. Some could not believe the charges, while others were quick to toss her aside. Shepard shook her head at them. Admiral Shala’Raan turned to them as they approached.

“Tali’Zorah vas Normandy. I am glad you came. I could delay them only so long.”

Shepard caught the name change, but Tali was more excited to see the woman and did not catch it as she went in for a hug.

“Auntie Raan! Shepard vas Normandy, this is Admiral Shala’Raan vas Tonbay. She’s a friend of my father’s.”

Tali paused and slowly turned to Raan, “Wait. Raan, you called me ‘vas Normandy’.”

“I’m afraid I did, Tali. The Admiralty Board moved to have you tried under that name, given your departure from the Neema.”

Tali had moved back to stand by Shepard as Raan spoke. Judging by Tali’s movements and Raan’s tone, this wasn’t a good thing.

“I take it being associated with a human ship is a bad sign.”

“They stripped me of my ship name. That’s as good as declaring me exiled already.”

“It’s not over yet, Tali. You have friends who still know you as Tali’Zorah vas Neema… whatever we must call you legally.”

 Raan tried to provide comfort by her words, but Shepard knew that it wasn’t helping and with Raan being required to excuse herself from the trial it made the words seem less comforting.

“You’ll see inside, Tali. For my part, I moderate and ensure that the rules of protocol are followed, but I have no vote in the judgment.”

Shepard’s brow raised at the change in Raan’s voice in the first part of the sentence. The hair on her neck stood on end, and she had the feeling that something more serious awaited Tali than the trial.

Raan gave a quick rundown of how the trial would operate.

“So, er… you would actually speak for my defense.”

“I’ll do everything in my power to help you, Tali.”

“Thank you, Shepard. I could not ask for a better counselor.”

“You could, but there would be fewer fireworks,” Garrus mumbled into the communicator.

“No one asked the thunder chicken for his opinion,” Shepard countered.

The group followed Raan into the plaza. The area was different from anything Shepard had seen. Trees and plants grew around the area. The walls were being slowly overtaken by the growth and yet the foliage did not seem to venture outside of the plaza. The area was thick with tension and whispers as the team continued forward. Garrus branched off and took a seat in the trial area as Shepard and Tali moved to the table in front of the admirals. Raan gave a blessing before the trial began. The first to speak was Admiral Koris and Shepard smirked as Admiral Raan threw his objection back in his face.

Garrus sat back and listened to Shepard defend and speak for Tali. He chuckled a bit as her couple of sentences brought forth an argument between two of the admirals. Looks like not everyone agrees. He thought.

Shepard caught the wringing of Tali’s hands. Her anxiety was surfacing, and Shepard could do nothing, but stand by her side.

“Then explain how geth seized the lab ship where your father was working!” Admiral Koris exclaimed.

Shepard’s earlier feelings were right, and she hated it.

“What are you talking about? What happened?” 

Shepard heard the trembling in her voice. Anger was coursing through Shepard’s veins which combined with worry as Admiral Gerrel informed them that everyone on the Alarei had been killed due to the geth overtaking. Shepard heard enough.

“I appreciate the need for this trial, Admirals, but right now our first concern must be the safety of the Migrant Fleet.” At that moment, Shepard found herself not caring for the Fleet at all, only Tali. She knew, however, that Tali cared immensely for her people and to help her, it meant helping the Fleet. “The Normandy stands ready to assist in whatever capacity necessary.”

Raan spoke first, “Thank you. Quarian strike teams have attempted to retake the ship, so far without success.”

Tali turned to Shepard, and she could hear and partly see the worry and strain her friend was holding inside, “Shepard we have to take back the Alarei!” However, before Shepard could respond Koris cut into the conversation.

“The safest course would be to simply destroy the ship. But if you are looking for an honorable death instead of exile…”  
“I’m looking for my father, you bosh’tet!” Tali roared as she pointed her finger at the arrogant admiral.

Shepard crossed her arms and smiled at her friend. That’s my Tali, she thought.

Garrus sat back listening to the exchange. Apparently, the admirals believed that the team would fail and die in taking the Alarei back. Guess they don’t understand who they were talking about. He followed the two back out into the plaza. He stood to the side as Shepard comforted Tali. He found himself irritated at the treatment his friends had received during the short trial. They had no faith and the middle one especially seemed hell-bent on exiling or hoping for death for Tali. He fell in line as Shepard moved about the ship to talk to people. The first of which was Raan and Tali made a beeline for her, anger present in each step.

“You set me up Shala! You told Captain Danna not to say anything. I don’t hear that my father may be dead until I’m in the trial? Why?”

Shepard and Garrus stood back as the two exchanged words.

“Good job, counselor.” Garrus nudged her with his elbow.

“Not good enough. We have to take the Alarei back and find evidence or something so Tali does not face exile.”

The question about Tali’s father hung around them, but neither spoke of it.

Shepard gathered what information she could about relationships between Tali and others, quarian expansion of ships, the Alarei, and the disagreements between the admirals.

She understood the views of each admiral. One for peace, one for war, and one that needed to see a mental health professional. The last person the team spoke with was Kal’Reegar and Shepard heard the joy return to her friend’s voice. Garrus nudged Shepard and she nudged back. The two sensed what the others didn’t say.

Shepard questioned Reegar’s presences at the trial and she smiled a bit at his response.

“I, ah, stayed to argue the charges against Tali’Zorah. I’ve served with her, and she deserves better than what she’s getting.”

“Thanks, Kal.”

“Just stating facts, ma’am.”

“Still with the ma’am, Kal.”

Reegar smiled at bit at Tali, “Of course… ma’am.”

Shepard hid the snicker that came out.

After gathering what information they could, the squad headed for the docking area where the ship waited to take them to the Alarei.

What awaited them was worse than they had expected. As they moved through the ship they discovered dead quarians and hostile geth, which was expected. Maybe not the amount, but it was the recordings that they hadn't expected. Recordings, what could be salvaged, gave them more insight into what happened upon the ship. None of the information provided was what any of them had hoped to find.

Shepard moved through an opened passageway before her team did and immediately came to a halt. She wanted to stop Tali from seeing what waited for them, but she moved swiftly past and dropped to her knees. Shepard could do nothing as Tali rambled in disbelief, but she could not let her sit there and cry alone.

“Hey. Hey, come here.”

Tali slowly stood and turned towards Shepard’s open arms. The two stood in the quiet hall, Tali hugging Shepard as she cursed and wept.

“Damn it. Damn it. I’m sorry.” Tali cried a bit more before pulling away from Shepard.

“Tali… you have nothing to be sorry about. None of this was your fault.”

“I know… I…” She turned towards her father’s body, “Maybe… He would have known I’d come. Maybe he left a message.”

Tali searched the body and found the awaiting message. Shepard stepped back to give her a bit of space as she listened. Garrus placed a hand upon Shepard’s shoulder. He knew she was hurting, maybe not as much as Tali, but watching their friend deal with the death of her father and still face possible exile… Shepard squeezed his hand before stepping forward once more to speak with Tali. She tried to comfort her friend, but she was a mix of rage and sorrow.

“We are ending this.” Vengeance hung on each word as she spoke. They would handle this situation, and whatever came after.

The battle wasn’t easy, and there were times Shepard worried for Tali as she wasn’t being as cautious as usual. The intact messages didn’t make things any better for the team or Tali.

“We can’t tell them. Not the Admirals. Not anyone.”

“Tali we are trying to help you. Help you avoid exile.”

Garrus once again stood back and watched the two. It was a rare thing to see them argue. Even the times they had argued before was more of a bickering between them. But this… no this was serious. Shepard was trying to get Tali to see reason. To save her from the worst thing that could happen to her, but Tali refused to follow. Her father was dear to her, even if he wasn’t present in her life as much as she would have wanted. She didn’t want him to be branded a war criminal. She knew that if the evidence was put forth, while it would clear her name, her father’s name would be stricken from every record and never spoken of again, except to scare children and those who thought to fall out of line. Shepard was going to have to do something to turn this around and avoid releasing the evidence.

The team disembarked the shuttle and could hear Admiral Koris already pushing to end the trial. To declare them all dead.

“Figures. What an asshole.” Shepard mumbled.

Raan was on their side, but Gerrel soon joined Koris’ voice to declare them dead.

“I’m going to punch both of them.”

“I’ll help.” Tali offered.

Shepard and her team turned the corner into the plaza and headed for the Admirals.

“Sorry we’re late.”

“I’m sure some of you must be disappointed.” Sarcasm ever present in Tali and Shepard’s tone.

Koris and Gerrel glanced at one another, now aware that the two heard everything.

“Tali’Zorah vas Normandy saved the Alarei. I hope this proves her loyalty to the quarian people.

The Admirals wanted proof of her innocence, and Garrus could only watch as Shepard struggled with what to do. The two women glanced at one another before Shepard stepped forward.

Tali reached out to her, “Shepard… please…”

Shepard heard the unspoken request and the worried/pleading tone that came with it. 

“Does Captain Shepard have any new evidence to submit to this hearing?” Raan questioned.

She glanced back one last time, now able to see the emotions present in her friend’s eyes and face.

She took a deep breath, turning back to the board, “Tali helped me defeat Saren and the geth at the Citadel. That should be all the evidence you need.”

“I fail to see what relevance—” Koris began, but Shepard was tired of the games.

“You’re not really interested in Tali, are you? This trial isn’t about her. It is about the geth.

Koris leaned forward against the railing, “This hearing has nothing to do with the geth.”

Garrus chuckled slightly. Wrong move, Admiral. Wrong move.

Shepard’s hand slammed against the railing, “You want people to sympathize with them! Han’Gerrel wants to go to war! None of you care about Tali! She knows more about the geth than any other quarian alive. You should be listening to her, not putting her on trial!”

Oh, Shepard was letting her fury go and even Tali stepped back from her. However, Garrus found himself aroused as he watched her pace back and forth, fighting the urge to slam her fists into each of the Admirals’ faces. They were attacking someone who was close to her heart, and she couldn’t be diplomatic anymore. That’s my girl. He thought. Get them.

“Tali’Zorah saved the Citadel! She saved the Alarei. She showed the galaxy the value of the quarian people.” Her anger pushed her further, rallying the crowd as she continued, “You care nothing for her, just the war with the geth and she,” Tali pointed at Tali, “She deserves better than this. This whole trial is nothing more than a sham.”

The crowd stood on their feet, rumblings of agreement for Shepard and Tali. Veetor even found the courage to speak up, but it was Reegar that surprised the two the most.

“Damn straight. Tali’s done more for this fleet than you assholes ever will. You’re pissing on everything I fought for. Everything Tali’s fought for. So, if you exile her… you might as well do the same to me.”

The crowd cheered in agreement before settling down. Garrus watched the Admirals and none dared to speak. Then again, what could you say to that.  What could you say to a crowd that disagrees with you and individuals willing to be exiled? Nothing. Well, not with out looking worse than you already do. Garrus smirked as the Admirals glanced upon one another, speechless.

“Are the Admirals ready to render judgment.” Came Raan’s soft voice.

Tali looked upon each of the Admirals as they put forth their vote. Shepard stood at her side, still brimming with anger.

Raan spoke up once more, “Tali’Zorah, in light of your history of service, we do not find sufficient evidence to convict. You are cleared of all charges.”

Tali released the breath she had been holding.

“Commander Shepard, please accept these gifts in appreciation for you taking the time to represent one of our people.”

Shepard accepted the gifts and turned back to the board, “With all due respect, I didn’t represent one of your people. I represented one of mine.” She smiled at her friend before turning once more to the Admirals, “But, if you appreciate me, then listen: the Reapers are coming. I’m going to need your help to stop them. Please don’t throw away your lives against the geth.” Shepard couldn’t remove the anger lingering in her words.

“Thank you, Commander Shepard. I hope this board carefully considers your advice.” Smugness ever present in Koris’ voice.

Shepard snapped her head towards Koris, “Don’t be so smug, Admiral. I do and say this for Tali. She cares about her people and understands the threat we face.” She pushed away from the railing, shaking her head at them.

“This hearing is concluded. Go in peace, Tali’Zorah vas Normandy. Keelah se’lai.”

As everyone dispersed, Tali and Shepard stood off to the side. “I can’t believe you pulled that off. What you said… I’ve never had anyone speak like that on my behalf. Thank you for being there for my father and me, even when… Thank you.”

“I will always be here for you, Tali. You are part of my team. Part of the Normandy. And most importantly, my friend. Someone who has been there from the beginning. I wasn’t going to let those idiots do this to you. However, if you want to get exiled we can make that happen, if you want.”

Tali chuckled, “Thanks, but I’m fine with things like this. It’s fun watching you shout.”

“I wasn’t shouting… I was speaking loudly.”

“Literally the same thing, Shepard.” Tali shoved her slightly.

“Objection!”

“Denied,” Tali replied.

Shepard placed her hand on her friend’s shoulder, “Well, Tali’Zorah vas Normandy, let’s get back to our ship.”

“Thank you… Captain.”

The team stopped to speak to the other quarians before heading to the Normandy. Shepard caught the tension still present between Tali and her aunt. That was going to take some time to deal with. Shepard was still angry at them all for making Tali go through the rollercoaster of emotions and avoid telling her about her father.

“You can’t punch the Admirals, Shepard,” Garrus whispered to her.

“I wasn’t—”

“Your fists are clenched. And you forget who you are speaking to.”

Shepard shook her hands, “Yeah, yeah. I won’t punch them…”

“But…”

“But… you think I can get away with accidentally throwing something at their face?”

“Pretty sure it wouldn’t be accidental and that you may end up in jail.”

“Well, damn.”

The last stop was Reegar.

“Nice talking, Shepard. Funny how it takes a commander to remind the admirals about military honor.” She could hear the smile in his tone.

“Glad they’re off your back, ma’am. And that you didn’t have to give them that evidence you found on the Alarei.”

Tali shifted nervously, “I didn’t say anything about finding evidence, Kal

Kal’s voice took on a deeper tone as he spoke to Tali, “Noticed that, ma’am.”

Shepard was going to need a fan or a bucket of ice water to cool herself and the room down. Tali tried to hide a smile, but Shepard noticed it. Along with the continued nervous movement.

“Stay safe out there, Reegar.”

“You too, Shepard.” He turned slightly towards Tali, his voice once more taking that deep, husky tone, “Ma’am.”

“Kal, just call me Tali.”

It wasn’t just Reegar’s voice that changed, but Tali’s too. 

Shepard nudged Garrus who glanced down at her. What was going on behind that mask she wasn’t sure, but she heard the growl come through her separate comm line.

“I’ll work on that… ma’am.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one took a bit more. Was going to cut it short with the mission, but decided not to. Which meant going back and redoing the chapter. Hope you all enjoyed it. Can't believe we are getting close to the end of ME2! Whew! Again hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for the positive comments and I will try to get the next chapter out a bit sooner!


	31. Just me... Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little break. Spoilers!! Nice digs. She knows all.

Shepard made a stop at engineering to speak with Tali after she had routed the ship to Illium. The team was heading to Illium to restock and rest, while waiting to hear from the Illusive Man. So far, there had been no word or update on what Cerberus was doing. Miranda tried to retrieve as much information as she could, however, the only thing they found out was that Cerberus was working on the Omega 4 Relay problem. As it stood, no ship has made it back through the relay, except for Reaper ships. Mordin was quick to inform her of the high probability that they would all die if they went through the relay now.

“Death likely. Too risky.”

“Thanks for that update, Mordin.”

“Welcome. Need solution.”

“We are working on it. I’ll let you know when we hear more.”

“Good. Good. Still working on project. Talk later.”

Shepard chuckled as she left the salarian’s space. The guy was a character. She remembered the singing from a previous discussion and laughed harder. Who would have thought that “serious and to the point” Mordin would have done some acting?

Shepard reached the engineering room to find Tali staring at the console, not really working and Shepard was worried that something else had come up. What could be worse than what they went through, she didn’t know, but she would be there for her friend.

Shepard briefly touched Tali’s arm, “Hey. You okay?”

Tali pushed away from the console to turn towards Shepard, “Yeah. Just thinking.”

“About?”

“Dragging you into quarian politics. Keelah, I’m sorry for that.” Tali shook her head, “All that infighting, seeing what my father did… You were the only one there for me, Shepard – the only cover I had against that storm. Thank you.”

“Tali, I am always there for you. The whole trial was insulting. You should have had time to mourn your father.”

“I don’t think life is about what you deserve. But my father would be honored I chose to mourn him by blowing up a lot of geth.”

“Well, anytime you want to go through that or destroy geth again, you let me know.”

"We spoke about sharing suit environment in my culture. Do you remember?"

"Yes."

"Sharing one's suit environment is the most intimate and trusting action a quarian can do with another. I would do that with you, Shepard."

"Tali... I... If I had a suit, I would be honored to share our suits together."

Tali gave a quick squeeze of Shepard's hand, “Thank you, Shepard. For everything. I must get back to work now. Have to make a list of items before we hit Illium.”

“No worries, Tali.”

Shepard left the engineering department and headed to the cockpit. It was great that the crew was going to get some downtime. Everyone had been working hard, and Shepard needed a breather from it all.

“Joker, we close?”

“Hey, Commander. Yeah. Not much longer.”

“Good. I need a break.”

“Oh, come on, Commander. Life is great. Except for that whole suicide mission thing.”

“Yeah. Awesome.”

“See? There ya go.”

“I believe the Commander was being sarcastic, Mr. Moreau,” Edi stated.

“And then there is that.”

Shepard chuckled, “Glad to see you two are still bonding.”

“I believe our relationship is improving, Commander. I do not believe Mr. Moreau is as friendly or accepting of me as he is of you and the other crew members, but I have noted a change.”

“That is good to hear.” Shepard nudged Joker, “I knew you two would get along.”

“I did not sign up for this, Commander.”

“Could be worse.”

“Touché, Commander. Touché.”

The ship docked on Illium and Shepard made her announcement to the crew. Shepard had already booked a place to stay at for the time they would be there. She was going to miss Liara. After the deal with the Shadow Broker, well… she wasn’t seen as often. She sent messages here and there, but it wasn’t the same. The two had built their relationship back up, and there was no more awkwardness between them. They were old friends once again, and it always helped to have someone that had access to pretty much anything. 

She recalled the email that some officers sent to Admiral Hackett about her arrest. The lengthy email followed by a short response by Hackett, which consisted of him denying their request. Hackett, like Anderson, knew something was going on and supported her as much as they could to figure it out and stop it. Had it not been for them she would be staring at a blank wall in the brig.

She exited the ship and decided to head to the market to stock up on things and see what new stuff it had to offer.

“Rushing out so soon, Shepard.”

Shepard turned to find Garrus waiting against the wall, “Maybe.”

“Want some company?”

She smiled at him, “Sure. Heading to the market area.”

Garrus pushed himself off the wall and joined her as she continued on her way. “So, how is our girl?”

Shepard sighed, “She is doing okay. A bit shocked from it all, especially her father. But she’ll be okay. She’s a tough one.”

“That she is. By the way, good job counselor. Don’t think anyone could have pulled that off.”

“I only did what I thought would help. She should have never gone through that.” Shepard clenched her fists, “Not telling her about her father and using her for their stupid politics.”

Garrus’ arm began to tingle causing him to glance down to find biotic energy enveloping her hands.

He placed a hand on her shoulder, “It’s okay, Shepard. It is over, and she is still part of the Flotilla.”

Shepard shook her hands out and took a deep breath. Exhaling slowly to get herself under control. “Thanks, Garrus. I’m sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry about. You care about your friends. You look after and help them when they need it. That is a wonderful aspect to have and I know I appreciate it, just as Tali does.”

Shepard gave a small smile. Something had been plaguing her thoughts lately and when she was alone, those thoughts increased and became the only thing on her mind. She had thought about talking to someone, but… well, what was the point in having other people, including her friends, worrying as she was about things? No, that she couldn’t bring herself to do.

Garrus saw the spaced look. Over the time the two had spent together he began to learn more about her. What some expressions, tones, and scents meant. He was no expert on humans or Shepard, but he knew her mind was elsewhere, and it probably had nothing to do with Tali.

“So, what is on your agenda?” Garrus nudged her as he spoke.

“Well, I want to pick up some items. Upgrade a couple of weapons and gear. But I really just want to relax.”

“Plan on bunking it on the ship?”

“Nope. Got some nice digs courtesy of a particular asari we both know.”

“Wow. Must be nice if it is the same one I’m thinking of.”

“I’m not sure. Never been to it. Got a message from her and was going to go there after my errands.”

There was a noticeable pause.

“Well… I’m sure they are nice.”

Shepard shook her head slightly, “Yeah. I’m sure too. Probably empty and a bit lonely there though.”

Another pause.

“Doubt I’ll hit the club up. So… just me… alone.”

“Uh… would you…”

“Would I what?”

“Would you like to maybe get some food together or something?”

Shepard wanted to laugh. The two had been sleeping together for a bit and he was still shy and awkward about things. She wasn’t going to push him about it. He had to gain that confidence on his own. Hell, she was still shy at certain times. When he did find his self-assurance…hopefully, it was on the level with her imagination. Or more. Her mind conjured up multiple fantasies involving them.

“Shepard?” He caught the scent, only for a moment, but her mind had gone elsewhere, and he was curious as to what she had pictured.

“Yeah. Sorry. I think that would be a good idea.”

“Good. Mind if I join on a couple of your errands. I heard they have a nice scope for my rifle here.”

“Oh. How nice?

“Real nice.”

Shepard and Garrus parted ways after a bit. She headed to her new place, mind elsewhere once again. As she shopped around, she overheard a conversation between a salarian and an asari; father and daughter from the sound of it. He was choosing a gift for his wife, the asari’s mother. Salarians didn’t live long to begin with, well at least not compared to other species. The tone was happy at the start, but changed after a while. He wanted something she would remember him by as she was going to live much longer than he, while the daughter continued to tell him that she would love whatever he got for her. Including some ridiculous Illium tourist shirt. He was getting closer to the end of his life and it made a fun trip, a bit gloomy.

“She would rather be with you, than have a shirt. Or a fish.”

“I  just want something for her to remember me by. I’m not… I’m not going to be around much longer.”

“Dad…”  
“No, it is true. I… love you and her and I don’t want for you two to forget me.”

“Dad we will never forget you. And we love you. Why don’t we grab something and head home? I know mom would rather spend time and hear these words from you.”

Shepard's thoughts went to her and Garrus. Garrus wasn’t the best at expressing his feelings when it came to the two of them. Not like you are either. No one asked you. Shepard argued with herself. She had to grudgingly admit that she hadn’t spoken to him about what was on her mind, whether it was about sex or their relationship. Tali and Samara had spoken to her about expressing herself too. Easier said than done. 

Garrus was still growing as an individual and they were having fun before going on a mission where both of them could die. There was also his family and culture. Would they accept the relationship? Does his family have him already setup with another turian female? Is a relationship what he really wants? So many questions that she had no answers to. At least for her she had no family to worry about objecting to her actions or choices. Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, she wasn’t exactly sure.

Shepard finally reached the condo that Liara had left her. She opened the door and dropped her items on the table that sat against the wall. She moved through each room to find that the place was furnished. Liara chose well and the items fit Shepard’s taste. No surprise there. The bathroom was beautiful and luxurious. There was a shower area and a separate, oversized, tub. The bedroom had a large four post bed. She knew the pieces that Liara chose were not cheap, but she knew her friend would not have settled for less.

Once the Shadow Broker had been taken down, Liara and Shepard sat down to review the situation.

“I owe you so much, Shepard.”

“No, you don’t. I am your friend and you were in need.”

Liara smiled softly at her, “What you have done for me over the years… I can't think of anyone who would have helped me. And I don’t think I could ever repay you.”

“Liara… I don’t expect you to pay me back.”

“Well, either way, I will do anything I can to support you. Should you need me, reach out to me.” She waved her hand over the surrounding area, “I have a variety of resources at my disposal.”  

Shepard chuckled at her thoughts as she roamed around her new place a bit more. The view was amazing. Nothing to interfere with it. She glanced down to find a piece of paper. It was typed out, but she knew exactly who had sent it.

**I had hoped you would be able to enjoy this little place.**

Little place… Yeah, okay.

**I know what you are going to say and the first place I was going to get was more substantial in size.**

Shepard laughed as she heard Liara’s voice in that one sentence.

**I hope you like it and if there is something you want, need, or changed, let me know. This doesn’t come close to what Feron or I owe you, but I am working on it. You are a great friend, Shepard. I wish I could accompany you on this mission, but… Well, I will see you when you come back. Oh, and give Garrus my best when he comes by.**

Of course, she knew.

**I am the Shadow Broker, Shepard.**

Shepard couldn’t hold the laugh in and fell upon the couch as she re-read that last sentence. She wiped the tears from her eyes as her sight fell upon the window. She still worried for her as her being the Shadow Broker was a dangerous situation, but she knew she could handle herself and if not, she had plenty of people who would come to her aid.

However, speaking of Garrus, Shepard’s eyes went to a nearby clock. She had given Garrus the address and they were to meet up later to go out. Which, judging by the clock, gave her time to relax and get in a short nap before the festivities. As she stripped down, she glanced at the tub and her mind began to wonder if she and Garrus could fit in there together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late submission! Family activities are going on, so more difficult to get writing done. Hope you enjoyed it. I'm sure the next chapter will be up sooner as I am excited to write about it. Actually, that probably applies to the next few chapters. The end of ME2 is right around the corner!! 
> 
> On a side note, I have been thinking of writing smaller fanfics about other pairings, as well as Garrus/Shep. (Mostly smut.) I've also been getting into writing Fallout4 stuff too. Not sure if I'll publish it, but we will see. 
> 
> Anywho! Hope you enjoyed it and please leave a comment or like!


	32. Angel of Retribution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Illuim is beautiful. People are crazy. No one messes with Shepard.

Shepard locked up behind her and headed to the meeting spot. Illium was a beautiful place, well at least what she had seen of it. Some of the things that went on were a bit questionable, but it didn’t attract from the beauty. 

She finally arrived at the location, but Garrus was nowhere to be found. Shepard found a bench and sat down to wait for him. She watched the different people pass by, catching the two people who were on a first date. There was the older couple who were walking a bit slower than everyone else, enjoying their time together. The lady using her charms to sell her products. 

It made Shepard chuckle, but for a moment cause her sadness. These innocents had no idea what was going on outside of their world. The destruction that awaited them. The same destruction she was hell-bent on stopping.

“Hey there. You look a bit down.”

Shepard’s eyes moved to the man who had approached her and proceeded to take a spot near her. “Just musing.”

“Anything interesting?”

“Not really.” 

She was hoping short answers would give him a hint to leave, but this man had other ideas. Shepard inwardly groaned.

“I like to come here too. Watch people.”

“I see.”

“Are you just here watching people?”

“No.”

“Waiting for someone?”

“Yes.”

“Are they late?”

“Not really.”

The man smirked, “So they are.”

Shepard didn’t respond.

Garrus had been waylaid by Joker and Tali on his way to meet Shepard. He didn’t want to tell them where he was going, although he knew Tali knew exactly what he was up to. He tried to rush to the meeting area without causing a sense of panic. Nothing like a giant turian running through the area to set people on edge. 

He finally reached the location and observed the unknown man sitting next to Shepard. She wasn’t happy about it either if her body language and facial expression was any indication. The two had not noticed him as he moved closer.

“Well, I can keep you company. If they don’t show up then maybe we head out of here.”

Shepard’s eyes cut to him briefly. Outwardly he looked like a nice gentleman. A smile that was unassuming. Clean. Dressed well. Wearing items that probably cost more than she could ever afford. Polite. But if you paid closer attention that smile didn’t meet his eyes. 

She spent her life studying people, mostly to avoid danger and other times out of enjoyment. She knew this man was off. This was a man who was used to getting what he wanted. No wasn't in his repertoire.

“That is not necessary. He will be here shortly.”

“Oh… he. I see. Well, are you two exclusive?”

Shepard didn’t respond and caught the smirk that briefly appeared upon his lips.

“So, you aren’t. That is too bad… for him. You seem like a lovely woman.”

“Sir, you don’t even know me.”

“This is true. But you could have told me to leave. You could have lied and said you were waiting on friends or your significant other. You could have called for security. But you did none of those things. So, you seem honest and courteous. You are dressed well, so you care a bit about your appearance. And you are quite easy on the eyes.”

“She is very easy on the eyes.” Garrus came around the pillar to stand in front of Shepard.

The scowl that was once on Shepard’s face melted away, and a smile took its place. She didn’t even turn to the man as she spoke, “Looks like he finally arrived.”

Garrus reached out for her hand to lift her from the bench. “I apologize for my tardiness. Our friends needed to talk to me as I was leaving.”

Garrus could see the quick look of disgust that flashed across the man’s face. Was it from her being taken or the fact she was with an alien. One could only guess. 

Shepard glanced over her shoulder, “As I said, he would be here shortly. Have a good night.” She slipped her arm into Garrus’ and the two walked away leaving the man behind.

The two sat across from one another finishing their meal.

“Who was that guy?” Garrus asked

“I have no idea. I was waiting on you and he decided to sit down next to me. Apparently, I am someone who looks like they require company.”

“Well, I always thought that.”

Shepard chuckled., “Right.”

“Let me guess though; he wanted to take you out.”

“Yeah. The guy was weird.”

“Well, he looked nice.”

“I’m sure he did. But you didn’t see him smile. His eyes were void of any enjoyment.”

Garrus now felt worse for being late. If she thought that there was something wrong with him… then there was. She was rarely wrong in that department.

The two had finished and decided to take a stroll around the garden area of Illium.

“I’ve never been here before.”

“Me either. But I heard it was supposed to be beautiful.”

“Well, the rumors aren’t wrong. It is amazing.”

The flowers varied in color and design, but the area was planned well, so everything flowed well together. There was a variety of wildlife fluttering about the flowers.

Shepard pointed to an iridescent creature that was floating about the plants, “That looks like the butterflies we have on earth.”

“Butterflies… the winged things that move about flowers?”

Shepard grinned, “Yes. Beautiful things.”

Garrus pulled her to him, his talon running along her lips, “I know of something much more beautiful than that.” He heard the soft intake of breath. There was a pavilion, covered by flowers and brush… he could…

“Want to head back to my place?”

Garrus attention snapped back to Shepard, his voice an octave lower, “I like that idea.”

Shepard gave a small lick to the pad of his finger, and he growled in response.

The two left the garden, taking a shortcut back to the apartment.

“You know. I didn’t expect someone like you to date something like that.”

Shepard stopped in her tracks and did a slow turn to the voice. There the man stood, but the façade that he had in place when they first met was gone. His physical appearance hadn’t changed. He still looked clean and well dressed, but now had a group of men standing around him.

“Well, I figured you would be a bit smarter and know when a woman wasn’t interested. Guess we are both wrong.”

“Well, only one of us is screwing an alien. Disgusting.”

Garrus felt the change in her. Things were going to get rough.

“Disgusting?” She slid a hand over Garrus’ chest, “Hardly.” She pulled him down to run her tongue against the sensitive skin on his mandible. “Enjoyable doesn’t really cut it in this instance,” Garrus growled low enough, so only she heard him. He watched as the man’s lips curled in disgust.

“Typical. Such a display would be expected from a whore. A whore for aliens at that.”

Garrus stood to his full height, teeth slightly exposed as he glared at the man. How dare he speak of his Shepard like that.

“I’d watch that tone, human.” His voice rumbled.

The man waved his hand dismissively, “Get your pet under control.”

Shepard removed herself from Garrus, “You sound like a child who was denied something. It is sad, I must say. Such an attitude… probably is disappointing in bed I’m sure. Now go pout somewhere else.”

“I don’t need some whore criticizing me. You don’t even know who I am. I will ruin you.” A revolting smirk appeared on this, except it matched the darkness in his eyes, “In more ways than one.” With that, the men rushed Shepard and Garrus.

Garrus was the first to move. He flung the smaller man to the side, hearing a thud come from his location as he hit the wall. The larger man and one other took his place, and for once he wished his talons were longer. That didn’t stop him from cracking his fist into larger man’s face. He could hear Shepard behind him, and someone exclaim, “She’s a fucking biotic.” He smirked a bit at that. She was a hell of a fighter, but an even better biotic.

Shepard slipped past the one man before wailing into the second.  She used the biotic energy in her fist to send him a couple of feet in the air after landing a solid uppercut. She felt the kick that hit her side, causing her to spin and face the oncoming attacker. The five men they saw had multiplied. The leader stood in the back, admiring the work.

The fighting went on for a while, exhausting the two. Shepard was on her knees, blood dripping from her lips. A few men had restrained Garrus, but the two were in one another’s line of sight.

The leader walked up to her, lifting her chin and tsked, “Going to have to do something about this damage.”

“Fuck off.”

The man released her, and his hand landed with a resounding pop across her face. “Disrespectful whore.”

“You hit like a bitch.”

This time he punched her, shaking his hand from the impact.

“That mouth of yours gets you into trouble. You should learn to shut up and do as you’re told. Whore.”

“Well, that won’t happen.” Shepard laughed.

He grabbed her chin once more, “Don’t worry I have other ideas for that mouth of yours.” He moved away from her and to Garrus. “I wonder how mouthy you would be if he took the punishment instead. Hm?”

“Don’t touch him.”

“I don’t think you are in the position to tell me what to do.” His fist slammed into Garrus. 

“Garrus!”

“I’m okay. I’ve had worse.”

“If you follow my orders I’ll stop.”

Shepard didn’t say anything.

“Learning already.”

“Don’t--.” The man kicked Garrus’ side, knocking the air out of him.   
“Know your place, you dirty alien.”

The man sauntered over to Shepard. Garrus eyes moved to her hands. No one had noticed the energy circling them.

“Now then. Let’s get you back and clean you up. If you listen, I won’t kill him.”

Shepard’s eyes flew to Garrus. “Fine.”

“Good.”

“Don’t do it. Don’t listen.”

“Shut him up. I don’t want to hear him talk again.”

“No! Leave him alone. I said I’d go.”

The man slapped her once more, “You were supposed to listen. You have learned nothing! Kill him. Then bring her to me. And do clean her up. I know she is a filthy whore, but do what you can.” He grabbed her chin, “It will be fun to break you.” The man kissed her forehead before walking away with two of his guards. 

The beatings upon Garrus began, and Shepard struggled to fight back.

“Garrus!”

“I’m sorry. She--.” The man’s foot connected with Garrus’ mouth. His eyes rolled to the back of his head.

“Garrus?”

No response.

“Garrus?”

“Your little fucktoy turian ain’t going to be responding back now. Put one in his head to make sure.” The man holding Shepard shouted.

“No…”

“Oh yeah. Watch this bitch.”

“No…”

“Boss?”

“Shut up.”

“Boss?”

The man turned to the other guard, “What?”

The guard pointed down. Energy was flowing along her arms at this point. “Shit.”

“Garrus!” She yelled as she shot biotic energy into the surrounding area. The men released their grip and flew backwards as she levitated above them.

“Get h--.” Shepard grasped the head guard’s throat and crushed his larynx before dropping him to the floor. She watched him struggle for breath, a vicious smile sitting upon her face before moving on to the rest. She flew at the men around Garrus and tossed them aside. The sounds of broken bones and horrid screams echoed in the small area. Her eyes swirled with her energy as she advanced to the last man.

Garrus had come to at some point and now sat watching Shepard as she walked away from him. Biotic energy surrounded her, but this… this was different. There was no blue… just red with flashes of purple. He looked around at the beaten and dead bodies. Some twisted into inhuman shapes. Faces frozen into looks of horror. His eyes shifted back to her as she strode to the last guard. Her voice… that had changed. Sinister and twisted with a myriad of different tones. What happened with Miranda and what was happening in front of him now… the difference was startling.

Shepard crouched down to gaze into the man’s eyes. What she saw brought a twisted smile to her bloodied face.

“You run back to your master, welp. Tell him that the angel of retribution will be visiting.”

She stood and noticed the man seemed glued to his spot. Too scared to move. She picked up him with her energy, slapping him as he landed on his feet. “Run little boy.”

The man sprinted from the area almost headfirst into a pillar before disappearing.

Garrus finally picked himself off the floor and found Shepard standing in front of him. He reached out and pulled her to him, wincing slightly as her energy surrounded him before finally settling.

“Garrus… I’m so sorry.”

He ran his hand over her hair, “Shhh… I’m fine. None of this was your fault.”

She lifted her head to stare at him, smiling, “But you are okay… you… are…”

Garrus held her as she fell unconscious. He heard the faint heartbeat and felt the shallow breaths. He picked her up and rushed to her apartment.

He had stripped and cleaned her while she remained unconscious. The excitment he would feel at touching her was absent. As he applied the medigel and dressed her he noticed the marks and brusies gracing her delicate skin. Rage filled him as he finished. You didn’t protect her. Again. But she saved you at the expense of herself. Shut up. You let her down. Shut up. What will she think now?

Garrus shoved the voice aside and left Shepard to take care of his wounds. They would pay. He glanced over at her pale figure. Yes… they would pay dearly. He grabbed the omni-tool and placed a couple of phone calls. The angel of retribution would be coming… with backup.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the chapter. I got the bug to write something like this, so I hope I did well. I know this part may not be some people's cup of tea, but I just had the urge to do this. Also, I don't like to go on about every detail of a fight, so I will mention only dramatic or important portions of it. Anywho! Thank you for coming around to read!


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